


You, Me and the Dead Body

by JustSomeGirlll



Series: Murder, Lies and Alibis [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Endgame Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Eventual Fluff, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Minor Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Murder Mystery, Slow Burn, Smut, but it's not a lot of fluffy stuff, but the angst isn't intense, it's really just normal human emotion, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-09-27 01:04:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17152397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustSomeGirlll/pseuds/JustSomeGirlll
Summary: When the FBI arrest Lex Luthor, the billionaire CEO of LexCorp, for his connection to arson, robbery, and murder, Lena knows she can't stay in Metropolis. She's a homicide detective and her brother was arrested, if she stays she'll always be questioned by her city and superior officers, but if she leaves, she might have a chance at a better life. However, when Lena moves to National City, her and her new partner, Kara Danvers, are assigned a case that goes far deeper than either of them thought possible. With tension in the city rising and more than platonic feelings growing between the two detectives, will they be able to crack the case before it cracks them?AKA the detective AU





	1. More Than Meets The Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I do actually have a plan for this story and I actually know where I want it to go and how I want to end it, which is weird because I never plan that far ahead. Anyway, just ignore my mistakes and enjoy :)
> 
> Also, sorry if my tense and sense are wrong. I did read through this like five times and rewrite it, so I'm fairly certain I've fixed most errors, but editing is certainly not a strong suit of mine.

 

* * *

 

Nine o’clock.

 

It's nine o’clock in the morning, and Kara has spent the last thirty minutes staring absently at the clock that hangs on one of the bare, beige walls of the bullpen; watching as the second-hand goes around the clock face. She’s bored, which is good considering her line of work – you never want to have a busy homicide detective. So, in a way, it’s good that Kara’s sitting at her desk, bored out of her mind as she taps a stray pen against her keyboard.

 

Kara watches from her desk as the second-hand makes its third rotation of the hour. She lets out a depleted sigh as she sinks back into her chair. It’s only been three minutes since she last looked at the ugly clock, and she has a feeling that the rest of the day is going to pass at a similar pace.

 

She probably wouldn’t be as bored if her old partner hadn’t transferred out of the fourth precinct and over to the sixteenth. She certainly isn’t angry that Vasquez left – far from it – she's proud that her friend had been promoted to fill the sergeant position over at the sixteenth. But she's very, _very_ bored now that she has no one to talk to. No one has been hired to fill Vasquez’s vacated position, Alex and Maggie were off following up on a lead for their case, Winn's busy working on something for the cyber division, and Lucy's off for the next eight weeks because she broke her leg.

         

Kara pushes herself away from her desk and spins around on her swivel chair as she tries to find something to occupy her time. She finished her paperwork yesterday and had even offered to assist other detectives with their cases, but to no avail. Kara stops spinning when a pink pastry box on her sister’s desk catches her attention. She looks around the bullpen from her swivel chair and quickly makes her way over to the box in question when she sees that the bullpen is empty. She subtly lifts the lid and peers inside; a smile finds its way across her face when she sees that her sister has bought cinnamon buns.

_Surely Alex won’t mind if I take one_ , Kara thinks. She grabs one of the treats and quickly retreats to her desk, eager to enjoy the tasty treat in her hand.

         

Kara’s in the middle of enjoying the pastry, knowing that she’s likely making a mess of her face. But she can’t find it in herself to care when the cinnamon bun tastes as good as it does.

_I wonder where Alex got these from. I’ll have to ask her next time I see her._

         

It’s her Captain’s voice that pulls her out of her little blissful world full of cinnamon buns. She spins around on her chair and sees her Captain standing in front of her and a dark-haired woman standing to his right.

         

“Danvers,” he greets.

         

“Captain,” she says around a mouthful of the cinnamon bun. Kara swallows when she realizes her mouth is full of food, “got something for me?” Kara shouldn’t sound as hopeful as she does, but she’s bored and in desperate need of something to do; even if that something is organizing files in the evidence room.

         

“I want to introduce you to Lena Luthor,” he gestures to the woman to his right and Kara offers her a friendly smile, “she’s just transferred from Metropolis, and she's going to be filling Vasquez’s position.”

         

“Oh,” Kara stands, offering Lena a handshake when she realizes that Lena is going to be her new partner, “I’m Kara Danvers; it’s nice to meet you.”

         

“You too,” Lena returns the handshake, taking note of the warmth radiating from the other woman’s hand, as well as the strength and softness that her hand seems to have. “Also, you have, um,” Lena gestures to her upper lip in the hopes that Kara will catch on.

         

Kara’s eyes widen. “Oh!” she spins around and uses her computer screen to check her reflection, eyes widening further when she realizes there’s a thin line of icing sugar along her upper lip. She quickly uses a nearby napkin and wipes the mess away from her face.

         

“Danvers,” Henshaw says, “show Lena around. I have a meeting with the Mayor and Commissioner in fifteen minutes.”

         

“Yes, sir.”

         

Captain Henshaw leaves, and Kara proceeds to show Lena around. She shows her the evidence room, the holding cells, armory, bathrooms, interrogation, the breakroom, and all the other places she'll need to know about.

         

An hour passes, and Kara and Lena return to their respective desks. Lena starts looking at something on her computer, but Kara’s bored and finished her work yesterday, so she resumes her staring at the clock on the wall that now reads a little before ten o'clock.

         

Kara quickly decides that watching the second-hand move around the clock face is not an exciting way to pass the time, so she turns her attention to Lena and studies her for a moment. She takes note of her dark hair that’s pulled into a high ponytail, green eyes that hold a type of intensity Kara’s never seen, and pale complexion. There’s something else about Lena that intrigues Kara, but she can’t pick what it is.

         

“So, what made you pick National City?” Kara says when she decides that talking to her new partner would be better and far less creepy than staring at her.

         

“Pardon?” Lena looks away from her computer screen and makes eye contact with Kara.

         

“Why’d you pick National City?” Kara repeats.

_People don’t know me here_ , Lena thinks but doesn’t say. “I don’t know; I just liked what I’d heard about it.”

         

Kara’s a detective, and a good one at that, so she picks up on Lena’s lie; she doesn’t say anything about it though. They’ve only just met, so Kara can’t fault Lena for not wanting to share her life story with her. Still wanting to get to know Lena though, Kara continues with her questions, deciding that trivial questions would be better for the time being.

         

“What’s your favorite color?” Kara asks.

         

“I don’t have one,” Lena answers, still keeping her eyes fixed on her screen.

         

“Come one, everyone’s got one,” Kara playfully chides, giving Lena a goofy smile as she pushes her glasses up her nose, “What’s the first color that comes to mind?”

         

Lena internally sighs because she knows that she’s not going to be able to escape her new desk mate’s questions. “Purple,” she answers before turning back to her computer screen.

         

“Nice. Mine’s yellow,” Lena hums in acknowledgment at Kara’s answer; unsurprised that the bubbly person sitting in front of her would pick such a bright color as her favorite.

         

Kara lets Lena return to whatever has her attention on the computer for a moment before she asks another question.

 

“Summer or Winter?”

         

“Winter,” Lena curtly replies, her eyes still on the computer screen in front of her.

         

They continue to pass the time like this: Kara asking trivial questions and Lena giving a brief answer. Lena does eventually start giving more detailed explanations, so Kara thinks that Lena’s opening up to her, so she asks a slightly more personal question.

         

“How come you left Metropolis?”

         

Lena stops what she’s doing but doesn’t look up to answer or meet Kara’s gaze, instead, focusing on the screen in front of her. Lena gets sucked into her thoughts, memories of the past month resurfacing and pulling her in; forcing her to remember everything that had transpired to force her to leave her home.

 

* * *

 

 

METROPOLIS, TWO MONTHS AGO.

 

Lena wakes up to the buzzing and ringing emanating from her phone at six o’clock in the morning. She gets up at six every day, wanting to get a head start. Lena rolls over and lays on her back once the alarm has stopped its insistent blaring. She stares up at the plain white ceiling of her bedroom before she eventually throws her duvet off and braces the cold temperature of her apartment.

 

She pads over to the bathroom, hitting the light switch on as she passes through the threshold. She doesn’t squint at the sudden intrusion of light, having grown accustomed to the fluorescent lights and waking up this early long ago.

 

Lena quickly showers, applies a light layer of makeup, and picks out her clothes out for the day – opting for a black pantsuit and plain white blouse. She pulls her hair into a high ponytail and walks out into her kitchen to make herself a coffee and eat a small breakfast. She switches the TV on as she stands in her kitchen and eats her breakfast. Lena doesn’t pay attention to the TV, not caring about what the morning news crew has to say, she just doesn’t enjoy the silence that fills her apartment.

 

As she’s sipping at her mug of steaming coffee, the news presenter catches her attention.

 

“Lex Luthor, the billionaire CEO of LexCorp, has just been arrested in connection to a series of murders, armed robberies, and arsons across the Eastern Seaboard," Lena hears from the TV. She stops what she’s doing and walks in a transfixed state, over to the television, turning the volume up and sitting on the edge of the coffee table, her eyes fixed on the screen.

 

"The IRS has reportedly been investigating Lex for tax evasion and insurance fraud, but today it was learned that the FBI had launched their own investigation into the CEO two years ago in connection to several fires that took place at factories LexCorp has across the country. We now go live to LexCorp tower, where the leading agent, Clark Kent, addresses the issue.”

 

Lena watches as the image on the screen switches from a news presenter in a studio, to out front LexCorp tower where a solidly built and dark-haired man addresses a crowd of reporters.

 

“There isn’t much I can release at this stage as this is still an ongoing investigation. But Mr. Luthor has been under investigation for several years now in connection to the fires that took place in his factories across the country. We also have evidence to support Mr. Luthor’s involvement in several unsolved homicides and robberies that have taken place across the country.”

 

Lena switches off the TV and sits on the coffee table as she stares at the blank screen. She always knew that her brother was morally grey at best, which is why she left when she did, but she’d never thought he would reach this level. She never thought that her big brother – the person she'd idolized for so much of her life - would be capable of such horrible things.

 

Lena knows that her life in Metropolis will never be the same it once was. Before, she was able to go about her life without being noticed, but now, she knows that everything she had worked so hard for would be called into question. She’s a Luthor and a homicide detective; there’s no way she'll be able to go on with her life without getting suspicious looks and questions from the public and her superior officers.

 

When Lena was eighteen, she left home and never looked back. She’d known since she was a little girl that she wanted to be a police officer, but the older she grew, she learned that being a police officer wouldn’t be possible if she remained part of the Luthor family. So, she left. She hasn’t spoken to anyone in from her family in ten years, and life was good for her. But there's no doubt in Lena’s mind that the press will dig up her name and drag it through the mud; ruining any chance she had at a normal life in Metropolis.

 

Lena doesn’t leave the city right away, she's smart and rational and certainly not rash, so she knows she needs to figure some things out. She goes into work that day intending to file for a transfer, either to a new area or city. But as soon as Lena walks through those precinct doors, regret fills her. She watches as everyone she walks by stops their discussions and looks at her; some with pity, but most with a look of anger.

 

The city she has called home for most of her life has been ruined. There's no way she can continue walking around without feeling like the whole city's watching her, just waiting for her to turn as her brother did. So, she leaves. She’s heard about National City a few times from colleagues and knew that it was a thriving city but significantly smaller than Metropolis.

 

National City’s size and being on the opposite end of the country, are the main things that hook Lena on the city. It's smaller, so it's unlikely that anyone would recognize her, and even if she did get recognized because of her name, people are likely to chalk it up as an unfortunate coincidence.

 

She doesn't stay at the precinct for long, only submitting her transfer request before packing up her desk and leaving. She makes the short walk to her apartment with a box of her possessions from her desk, in hand. Lena books a one-way ticket for National City and begins packing up her apartment that day. She stuffs a few necessary clothes into a suitcase and the rest into boxes so she can have them shipped to National City when she's settled.

 

The sun sets, and Lena casts one last look at her apartment. Her space. The space she worked so hard to get. She doesn't cry, though, but a steely expression falls over her face. Lena rights her postures and grabs her suitcase before pulling the door shut and locking it. She makes her way down to the street and catches a cab to the airport, ready to start a new life.

 

* * *

 

 

Kara's voice speaking into her desk phone pulls Lena from her thoughts.

 

“Alright,” Kara says as she stands and pushes her chair in, “we’ll be right there." She returns the handset to its holder and pulls on her blazer and grabs her keys. “Sorry, I do want to hear your answer, but we got a case,” Kara says.

 

Lena nods, forcing her memories back inside their little boxes as she stands, grabbing her blazer and walking to meet Kara by the elevator.

 

They're pulling up to the crime scene within fifteen minutes, and Kara instantly takes note of the area. The area around them is very well developed, with plenty of high rises for commercial purposes, but the part that has been taped off with official police tape is a dark alleyway between two buildings.

 

Even though it's nearing the middle of the day, the alleyway is darker than the surrounding streets due to the enormity of the surrounding buildings. Industrial dumpsters are lining either side of the alley and a side access door for one of the buildings, within the alleyway. It was just like any other alleyway, except it was unusual to see this type of alley in an area this developed.

 

“Dr. Grant,” Kara says, smiling at the chief coroner. “What’ve we got?"

 

“Gunshot victim.” She points to each of the entry wounds on the victim. "Nine millimeters. Looks like she might have been shot from ten feet away. And from what I see right now, it looks like she was shot at least four times.”

 

Lena starts on her own line of questioning as Kara steps back from the scene to take everything in. She takes note of the fact that it looks like a robbery gone wrong. The woman’s handbag appears to have been ripped from her grasp, the contents scattered across the ground, her sleeve and collar had been ripped, and a pearl necklace lay torn on the ground.

 

 _Looks like a robbery gone wrong_ , Kara thinks,  _but it doesn’t feel like one_.

 

The scene looks perfect. It looks just like the staged crime scenes Kara would practice on at the academy. It's perfect, and that’s what makes it feel all wrong.

 

Kara then takes note of the jewelry the woman still has. She still has a watch on her right wrist, and the pearls are still on the ground even though they could quickly be sold for a few thousand dollars. All this reinforces the idea that this is not a robbery gone wrong, further into Kara’s head.

 

 _Someone looking for a quick steal would not leave those behind_ , Kara thinks.  _W_ _hy shoot her more than once, and from at least ten feet away. That makes no sense_.

 

“What’re you making of this?” Lena asks when she’s standing beside Kara again.

         

“It looks like a robbery gone wrong.” Lena hums in agreement. “But I don’t think it is one.”

 

“Me too,” Lena says.

 

“Really?” Kara sounds surprised when she turns to face Lena.

         

“Yes." Lena looks to Kara. “This crime scene is too perfect. Also, it makes no sense. Why would someone looking for a quick steal leave the very expensive watch and necklace, _and_ shoot her four times from ten feet away?”

         

“My thoughts exactly.”

         

“So, we agree then? We have a murder with no known motive.”

         

“It would seem that way.”

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I continue on with this story? I kinda want to but I'm just curious as to how many people actually want this to be a thing, this way I'll know to start writing the next chapter instead of procrastinating. Anyway, thanks so much for reading! If you have any questions, constructive criticism or just general feedback, let me know.
> 
> Thanks again :)


	2. The Eye in the Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter. Not a lot happens and I expect the next chapter will be similar, however, the story will start to pick up some speed. I'm just trying to be somewhat realistic with respect to time, so that's why things are moving at a slow-ish pace. But I assure you, things will get good. Anyway, just ignore my mistakes as I am sure there are plenty.
> 
> Enjoy :)

 

* * *

 

 _This case makes no sense_ , Lena frustratingly thinks as she stares transfixed at the crime scene before her. She drowns out the noise and sounds of people talking around her and focuses on the scene in front of her; taking everything in, right down to the chipped manicure on the woman's hands and the scuff marks at the points and sides of her heels.

 

Everything about the case is slowly picking away at her brain, but the shoes and chipped manicure are standing out the most right now. She knows just from looking at her shoes that they’re one of Jimmy Choo’s more recent designs – easily costing more than three thousand dollars – and the manicure on her hands is a bright purple, chipping away at the ends and creating an intense juxtaposition with the rest of her outfit.

_Strange that a woman wearing designer labels would wear nail polish like that_ , Lena thinks. Though Lena has long since left her family behind, some things never really left her memory; one of those things being her mother’s insistence that her outfits are always in perfect condition. Lena remembers the days where Lillian would drag her to a nail salon or have a nail technician come to the house. Lillian insisted that her nails be kept in pristine condition, telling her that it would look tacky if she wore high-end labels with poorly done nails.

 

Granted, not everyone with money was like that, but it strikes Lena as unusual that a woman wearing an outfit that would easily cost ten thousand dollars, wouldn’t have her nails done professionally. Then there’s the issue of the shoes. They’re expensive but scuffed at the ends, and Lena can see from the position of the scuff marks, that it’s probably because the woman wasn’t experienced in wearing heels or didn’t wear one’s of that height very often.

 

A rookie officer accidentally bumps the siren on one of the police cruisers around the scene, causing a loud wail to ring for a brief second. The sudden intrusion pulls Lena from her thoughts, and she turns to face Kara, a confused expression across her face.

 

“What’s on your mind?” Kara asks as she slides her phone into the back pocket on her pants.

 

“This case,” Lena says, looking back at the scene. “It’s not just me, right? It feels weird like everything is just… wrong.” She looks back at Kara.

 

“It’s not just you,” Kara says, looking at the scene herself. “It feels fake.” Lena hums in agreement, and Kara turns back to face her. “Regardless though, we do have to figure out what happened to that woman.”

 

“Right.” Lena nods. “Did we get an ID on her?”

 

“There was nothing within the crime scene, so I’ve requested for any nearby patrol officers to search the surrounding streets.”

 

“Alright. In the meantime, though, I suggest that we start with that.” Lena turns around and points to a security camera that’s watching over one of the entrances to the alleyway.

 

“A security camera,” Kara looks up at it. "Maybe we’ll get lucky and get a picture of the killer’s face.” She looks back to Lena. “Lead the way.”

 

* * *

 

One of the receptionists usher Kara and Lena into a small and stuff office, a stark juxtaposition to the spacious and breezy lobby they were standing in just moments ago. The lights in the room are off, and the screens that line one wall illuminate the otherwise dark room in a blue, almost, grey light. The two stand in awkward silence as they wait for the head of security to meet with them.

 

Lena uses this time to go back into her thoughts, mulling over the facts of the case instead of dwelling in the awkwardness that builds around her and Kara.

 

 _It looks like a robbery gone wrong_ , Lena thinks, _but the woman’s valuables are still there, not to mention she was shot four times from at least ten feet away. Muggings are typically close acts. So, it’s unlikely that this was one._ _Maybe the killer set it up to look like a mugging gone wrong. But that suggests an experienced killer, and the scene suggests anything but experience. Could they have just gotten interrupted?_

 

“The coroner said the time of death was around five o’clock this morning, right?” Lena asks.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Is this part of town busy at that time of day?”

 

“Not really,” Kara says as she turns to face Lena. “But a few of the smaller businesses open pretty early though. Why? What’re you thinking?”

 

“Maybe whoever killed the woman could have staged the scene to look like a mugging gone wrong.”

 

“But why do such a terrible job at it? I mean, the vic’s necklace and watch are still there, and they’re obviously valuable.”

 

“My thoughts exactly. So, that leaves me with two thoughts. One, the killer was inexperienced, hence why the scene doesn’t look like a robbery. Or two, the killer is experienced but just got interrupted,” Lena explains.

 

“I guess that would explain why the scene looked staged.”

 

“Yeah, but it’s only a theory; we don’t have any evidence to suggest that it’s true.”

 

“Well, hopefully, that security camera will give us something.”

 

“Detectives,” an older man greets as he walks into the small room. From the way that he carries himself, it’s evident that he has plenty of experience and has been in this line of work for many years. “I’m John Anderson, Head of Security.” He offers his hand for Lena and Kara to shake.

 

“Nice to meet you,” Lena says, shaking the man’s hand.

 

“How can I help you two?” He stands tall.

 

“We’re investigating a murder, and we’re wondering if we can see the security footage from the alleyway at five o’clock this morning,” Kara says.

 

“I’m sorry detectives, but on the second Thursday of every month, our security system goes through maintenance between the hours of four and six o’clock in the morning.”

 

“So, you don’t have anything?” Lena asks.

 

“Unfortunately, we don’t.”

 

“How many people know when the system will be down?” Kara asks.

 

“Myself, a few executives and the security company.”

 

“Could we get a list of all those people?” Kara asks.

 

“Sure, I’ll have someone send it over to you,” he says before leaving.

 

“We should start questioning nearby business owners,” Lena says as she turns to face Kara.

 

“Yeah,” Kara agrees, “maybe they saw something.”

 

* * *

 

It’s well after six o’clock when Kara and Lena disembark from the precinct’s elevator. They spent the entire afternoon canvassing the neighborhood and asking store owners and nearby pedestrians if they saw or heard anything around the time of death. Unfortunately for them and their case, their questions yielded no useful information that would help them figure out what happened to the woman who was shot dead in the alley.

 

They walk in a tired silence from the elevator to their desks before they drop down into their respective chairs and mull over the facts of the case in their head.

 

“Did uniforms end up finding any ID?” Lena asks, looking over her desk at Kara.

 

“No,” Kara tiredly looks up to meet Lena’s gaze. “I spoke to Dr. Grant when you were finishing up your questions with the last store owner; she said that she would run her dental records. So, it should be a couple of days until we’re able to identify her.”

 

“Okay, well, while we wait for that, I suggest that we make a list of everything we know so far,” Lena says as she rights herself in her chair. “Do you have a pad of paper?”

 

Kara searches through her desk drawers and pulls out a pad of paper and pen. They spend the next half hour combining their observations and creating a list of everything they know so far, which only serves to confuse them further. With all the facts outlined in black ink on the yellow paper, it’s more apparent that their case makes no sense.

 

“This is ridiculous,” Kara sinks back into her chair and tosses her pen on her desk, “This case just makes less sense the more we look at it.”

 

Lena hums her agreement, and the two fall into a silence, which is eventually broken by Alex making her presence known.

 

“You look like shit,” Alex says as she drops into the chair beside Kara’s desk.

 

“Gee, thanks,” Kara shoots her sister a meaningless glare. “Lena, this is Alex,” she gestures to Alex, “my sister who apparently lacks manners.”

 

“Excuse you, I’ll have you know that I’m very polite>” Alex turns awkwardly in her seat to smile at Lena and offer her a handshake. “Nice to meet you.”

 

“Likewise,” Lena shakes the offered hand, “So, you two are sisters _and_ homicide detectives?” she looks between the two.

 

“Yup,” Kara nods.

 

"It’s unusual that you both became detectives and in the same precinct no less.” Lena smiles a little at the new information.

 

“You sound just like our Mom,” Alex says.

 

"Yeah, except Eliza freaked out when you joined the force and almost had a heart attack when I joined a few years later," Kara says, laughing.

 

Alex smacks Kara's shoulder. “Anyway, Maggie’s waiting for me downstairs.” she stands. “We’re heading to the bar, and you two are more than welcomed to join us.”

 

Alex leaves, and Kara and Lena are thrown into another silence. Lena angles her head so she can glance at the clock hanging on the wall.

 

“It’s late, and we’re not going to learn anything more tonight," Lena says.

 

“Yeah,” Kara sighs and starts packing up her bag. “Do you want to come to the bar. I can’t promise much, but I’m fairly certain that someone will get their ass kicked at pool or darts.”

 

Lena laughs. “As fun as that does sound, I’ve got unpacking I need to do.”

 

“Alright,” a slither of sadness flashes across Kara’s face. She wants to get to know her new partner, and something in Kara’s head is telling her that they’re going to make the best of friends one day. “Another time then,” Kara says, sounding hopeful.

 

“Another time,” Lena says with a small smile and nod.

 

* * *

 

The wind picks up its speed as Kara makes the two block walk from the precinct to the bar. She finds it odd that it’s not even eight o’clock yet and there are already people – clearly drunk – walking down the street. But Kara isn’t one to judge, so she offers a polite smile and nod to the few she makes eye contact with and continues on her way towards the bar.

 

She pushes through the dark, weathered door that separates the bar from the outside world, and she’s instantly met with the familiar and comforting surroundings of the bar. It’s a cop bar, that much is evident from all the decorations that adorn the walls, and the cops scattered throughout the premise. Kara stands at the door for a moment, taking everything in. It’s been nine years since she first walked through that old door as a rookie patrol officer, and every day since then, she relishes in the knowledge that she gets to drink where some of the greats once did.

 

Kara’s eyes scan the bar. She takes note of the rookies crowded around a foosball table, a few sergeants from the sixth and fifth precinct engaged in a very serious game of pool, and the detectives slumping over the bar, likely having just finished a stressful day. She spots Lucy sitting at one of the booths in the back and is immediately waved over when Lucy sees her.

 

“What’re you doing here,” Kara asks as she slides into the booth, mindful of Lucy’s crutches that are underneath the table. “I thought you were on house rest for the next eight weeks.”

 

“I am,” Lucy shrugs as she takes a sip of her beer. “But I got bored really fast.”

 

“You need a hobby,” Kara shakes her head as she pours herself a glass of water from the pitcher in the center of the table.

 

“You’re telling me,” Lucy laughs.

 

“Well, I hear knitting is an excellent past-time,” Kara smirks around her glass, and Lucy rolls her eyes. “Where are Alex and Maggie? I thought they were here.”

 

“They are,” Lucy says. “They’ve just gone to get drinks. Oh! How’s that new partner treating you anyway?”

 

“How’d you know about that?”

 

Lucy feigns a look of offense. “I’ll have you know that I am an extremely skilled detective. I’m also your sergeant, so I know when you get a new partner.”

 

“How come you didn’t tell me?”

 

“I thought you could use a nice surprise for once,” Lucy shrugs, part of her reasoning left unsaid because both her and Kara know why.

 

Memories of Kara’s last case start to flash through her mind. Even though no homicide is similar or routine, that case was something that Kara had seen plenty of in her time as a detective. A middle-aged woman had been found in a dumpster behind a small convenience store – beaten to death. The woman’s life had appeared to be perfect; owner of a small bookstore in the city’s center, and a married mother of two. Upon further investigation, though, Kara and Vasquez had found that her life wasn’t as perfect as it appeared. The woman had been seeking a divorce after learning of her husband’s infidelity, with the plan to take her two children with her. The husband’s secrets quickly unraveled from there, and Kara and Vasquez found evidence to prove that the husband had killed his wife. The arrest was supposed to be like any other, but a fight ensued when Kara and Vasquez had arrived with two other uniformed officers. The two officers had been shot, but only received skin grazes, while Vasquez had been shot in the stomach. That was the last case that Kara and Vasquez worked together before Vasquez took the vacant sergeant’s position at the sixteenth precinct.

 

You never really know what cases are going stick with you in your time as a police officer, but Kara knew that that case would be with her forever, the knowledge that two young children lost not only a mother but a father too, almost tearing her apart.

 

Kara brushes the memory away, forcing it deep into her mind. “Well, thanks for the surprise, I guess.”

 

“What’d you think of her so far?” Lucy asks.

 

“Think of who?” Alex asks when she returns to the table with Maggie, both women sliding into the booth opposite Kara and Lucy.

 

“Kara’s new partner,” Lucy says.

 

“Ah,” Alex takes a sip from her bee., “Well, I like her; seems cool.”

 

“She’s also super intuitive. She’ll pick up on things that I didn’t even notice. Like, today we got this case, right, and she saw that the vic’s shoes were scuffed at the points and sides.”

 

“So?” Alex asks.

 

“So, she came up with a theory that maybe our vic doesn’t wear heels all that often.”

 

“And how exactly is that relevant?” Alex again asks.

 

“It’s hard to explain, but the case is just really unusual. When we walked up to the scene, Lena and I both felt like it was just all wrong. And, I know the shoe thing seems insignificant and doesn’t really make sense right now, but I feel like it will eventually.”

 

“Alright, then." Alex nods. “Anyway, I, for one, don’t want to spend my night talking about work. So, who’s up for a game of pool?”

 

“How ‘bout darts instead, because as much as I want to kick everyone’s ass at pool, I can’t exactly use one of my legs right now, or have you forgotten?” Lucy says.

 

“Fine, fine.” Alex raises her hands in mock surrender.

 

“You’re still not gonna win though,” Alex playfully says as she and Lucy walk over to one of the dart boards.

 

“Of course, I will, and when I win, I’ll be able to say that I beat you at darts even though I had a broken leg.”

 

“What’s your new partner’s name?” Maggie says as she and Kara follow Alex and Lucy to the dart board.

 

“Lena Luthor.”

 

“Do you know about-”

 

“Yeah,” Kara interrupts, “I spoke to Clark a few weeks ago, and he told me about his big arrest. But honestly, she shouldn’t be defined by her name. She’s a great person and a brilliant detective; I consider myself lucky to work with her.”

 

“Good,” Maggie nods. “Because when I worked back in Metropolis, Lena was starting as a detective in my precinct and she is a great person. I want to make sure you saw her as her, not just another Luthor.”

 

“I would never do that. There’s so much more to a person than a name, and I know that it can be daunting when people expect you to be like your family. And I imagine that it’s worse for Lena because Lex isn’t known for his particularly good deeds like Clark is.”

 

“Good to know you think that." Maggie offers a smile to Kara. “And what’s in a name, anyway?”

 

“Letters, I would assume,” Kara says, grinning.

 

“Alright, smarty pants.” Maggie rolls her eyes. “Just for that, I am going to absolutely kick your ass.”

 

“Sure, sure,” Kara feigns agreement.

 

“You two ready for darts?” Alex interjects.

 

“You mean am I ready to kick your ass and everyone else’s? Because yes, I am,” Maggie gives Alex and a quick kiss on the cheek and snatches the darts from her open palm, “Good luck everyone and may the best detective win."

 

* * *

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any thoughts, constructive criticism or just general feedback, I would love to hear it. Thanks so much for reading to this point, and I assure you, things will start to happen soon. Just hang in there. Thanks again :)


	3. Open Your Eyes and You Will See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks for all the comments, really love reading those. Also, if you see any mistakes, feel free to let me know and I'll fix 'em up. Enjoy :)

 

* * *

 

It’s a little before six o’clock in the morning when the sun begins its ascent; gradually climbing higher and higher into the sky, illuminating National City as it does so.

 

Kara rolls over in bed and watches as the sun seeps into her bedroom and dances across her floor and blankets. She’s been awake for more than thirty minutes but kept her eyes closed in the hopes of grasping a few more minutes of sleep. Kara opens her eyes when she realizes that she won’t be getting any more sleep. She sighs when she reads her clock, learning that it’s not even six o’clock yet.

 

Resigning to not getting any more sleep, Kara throws her blankets off and begins to get ready for the day and head over to the precinct a little earlier than usual.

 

Kara trudges up the front steps of the precinct, coffee-filled thermos in hand, and her coat pulled tightly around her body to offer some protection from the unusually cold morning. She greets the officers who are finishing their night shift as she hits the call button for the elevator with her free hand.

 

Kara relishes in the relative silence of her elevator ride to the fifth floor. The elevator’s empty, so she doesn’t have to deal with the claustrophobia that usually comes with it, and with the gears churning above her head, creating some sound, she doesn’t feel isolated. It’s peaceful, and Kara allows herself to close her eyes and enjoy the moment before it’s over.

 

The elevator dings and the doors open, drawing Kara’s eyes open. She walks into the bullpen that’s lit with fluorescent lights and the sunlight that manages to get around the neighboring buildings. Kara walks towards her desk, her shoes clacking against the checked linoleum floor. She cocks her head slightly when she sees Lena hunched over her desk, reading through a file. She takes note of the binders stacked to her right and the pile of records to her left.

 

“You’re here early,” Kara says as she sets her bag and thermos down; shedding her coat and hanging it on the back of her chair.

 

“So are you,” Lena remarks without look up, her gaze remaining fixed of the file in front of her.

 

“Yeah, well, I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep,” Kara says, omitting the fact that she’d woken up early because of the case not making any sense, “so I figured I’d come in early and get an early start on the day. What about you?”

 

“The same thing,” Lena looks up at Kara and offers her a smile. She’s been a detective for long enough to know the look of someone who’s hung up on a case; hell, she’d seen it on herself plenty of times, including this morning when she was getting ready. So, Kara’s words, coupled with her masked exhaustion, make it evident to Lena that their case is the reason Kara was up early.

 

“Well then, can I get you a coffee refill?” Kara nods to Lena’s empty mug that’s haphazardly perched atop her stack of binders.

 

“You don’t have to do that.”

 

“It’s not a problem,” Kara waves off Lena’s concerns, “I was gonna go find something to have for breakfast. So, do you want me to get you a refill while I’m there?”

 

“That’d be nice,” Lena smiles and hands Kara her empty mug, “Thanks.”

 

“Not a problem,” Kara turns to leave.

 

“Oh, and just a splash of milk and no sugar,” Lena says.

 

“Sure thing,” Kara smiles over her shoulder and nods before she walks off towards the break room.

 

Lena gets distracted for a moment, and watches as Kara walks away. A fond smile plays at her lips as she watches Kara. None of her colleagues at her old precinct had gone out of their way to do something nice for her, and Lena never really felt welcomed there. It felt like they all looked at her and treated her differently because of her family, which was only made worse after Lex had been arrested.

 

Lena shakes her head and frees herself from the brief distraction, forcing her eyes away from Kara and back down to the file in front of her.

 

Not five minutes later, a mug full of steaming coffee being placed on her desk, pulls Lena from her reading. “Thank you,” she says to Kara as she takes a sip.

 

“Not a problem,” Kara smiles in return and takes a bite of the bear claw she’d found in the breakroom. “Did I get it right?” she asks.

 

“It’s perfect; thank you.”

 

Kara smiles again before digressing from their conversation. “What’re you reading?” she nods to the file.

 

“The list of people who knew about the security system’s maintenance.”

 

“When did that come through?”

 

“Just this morning.”

 

“Any red flags?”

 

“No,” Lena flicks back through the list, “The only thing I’m seeing is a few misdemeanors and traffic infractions; nothing serious.”

 

“Have you checked their financials?”

 

“Yeah,” Lena pulls out several files from her stack, “There was nothing unusual for the most part, however, I noticed that Maxwell Lord has been having some money troubles over the last eight months. He’s one of the executives and is still pulling in a six-figure salary, but almost all of it is going towards loan repayments and what not,” she flicks through several documents.

 

“Can I?” Kara motions to the file, and at Lena’s nod, she takes to file and reads through it herself. “Looks worse than just money troubles. All of this guy’s money is tied up in intangible assets.”

 

“Yeah, well, Maxwell never really had any impulse control.”

 

“You know him?” Kara’s eyes are still scanning through the file.

 

“Family acquaintance,” Lena briefly explains.

 

Kara doesn’t question it any further, knowing full well that it wasn’t any of her business and that Lena probably didn’t like talking about anything that was related to her family. Instead, she nods.

 

“We should speak to him then,” Kara says, looking up at Lena across her desk. “It’s possible that someone might’ve paid him for his knowledge of the security system.”

 

“I agree, but office hours aren’t until eight, and knowing Maxwell, I expect that he’ll show up several hours after that.”

 

“So, we’ve got a couple of hours,” Kara says, “In the meantime then,” she pulls a manila folder out of her bag, “I stopped by the coroner’s office on my way into work, and Dr. Grant was kind enough to expedite the autopsy and finished the report for us.”

 

“Did she get an ID?”

 

“Yup,” Kara scans the page for the name, “Victim’s name is Naomi Baker.”

 

Lena types the name into the police database, in the hopes that someone has reported her missing. “Naomi Baker,” she reads aloud, “reported missing by her husband, Thomas Baker, two nights ago. Says here that she was thirty-seven and an AP history teacher over at National City High School.”

 

“Is there an address?”

 

Lena scans her eyes across the page. “1520 Walker Street. What’s the report say?”

 

“Cause of death was blood loss due to being shot four times in the abdomen,” Kara reads, “Time of death was close to five o’clock in the morning. There’s more here, but you can read that on our way over to her house.”

 

“Alright,” Lena takes the folder from Kara’s outstretched hand and pulls her coat on as she stands up, “Are you ready to tell the husband?”

 

Kara isn’t a complainer. She loves her job and would never want to be doing something else with her life. However, some parts of her job do make her wonder if it would be easier working in a different department. Sometimes she thinks robbery would be better; the mystery of ‘who done it?’ is still there, except you don’t have to tell people that their loved ones have been murdered.

 

“As ready as I can be,” Kara says as she grabs her coat and starts walking to the elevator with Lena.

 

* * *

 

When they pull up to the house, it’s still relatively early, so the only people out are a few kids walking to school.

 

They walk along the cracked concrete path and up towards the front door of the house. They can hear the sound of children laughing from the back of the house, presumably the two children. Kara and Lena exchange a glance, both knowing the weight their news carries and how it will likely affect the children laughing.

 

The laughter continues, and Kara almost wants to turn around so those children can stay in their little bubble of ignorance; so they can stay happy. But she can’t. She took an oath to protect and serve, and as much as it pains her, telling the family and learning everything she can about the victim is how she can fulfill that oath.

 

And ignorance never yields eternal bliss; those children will eventually learn that their mother isn’t coming home.

 

Lena raises her hand and raps on the door. They stand side-by-side and eventually hear someone moving towards the door. When the door does open a dark-haired man wearing a bright red Star Wars shirt and jeans is revealed.

 

“Hi, can I help you?”

 

“Hi, are you Thomas Baker?” Lena asks.

 

“I am.”

 

“I’m detective Luthor, and this is my partner Detective Danvers. We’re with the NCPD from the fourth precinct. We need to talk to you about something.”

 

The man’s face goes from curious to worried at the words, and it’s something both Lena and Kara have seen far too often. The man stands aside and welcomes them inside, pointing to a small office off from the foyer.

 

"Are you here about my wife?” Thomas asks, just as Kara is about to break the news.

 

“We are,” Kara confirms, “Unfortunately, we don’t have good news. Yesterday your wife’s body was found in an alley; she was murdered.”

 

Kara and Lena watch as Thomas processes the news. There’s a split second where nothing happens like he doesn’t believe what he’s just been told, or that it’s all some dream and he’s about to wake up. But that fades just as soon as it appears, and the meaning of the words sink in. His eyes go glassy and fill with pain.

 

“What happened?” he asks, the shakiness evident in his voice.

 

“She was shot in the abdomen and died because of it,” Kara explains. At the man’s silence, Kara continues speaking. “I know this is painful-”

 

“Do you?” the man shouts out of grief, “Do you really know how ‘painful’ this is? You’ve just told me that my wife – the woman I love and mother of my children – is dead. How can you possibly know what that feels like?”

 

At the man’s shouted words, memories that Kara had spent most of her teenage years repressing, force their way to the forefront of her brain.

 

* * *

 

It’s the middle of class when Kara gets called up to the main office. She doesn’t think anything of it; she’s a good kid, so she figures one of her parents needed a message passed on to her.

 

She wanders through the corridors, occasionally peeking into classrooms that she knows her friends are in. When she does reach the office, it confuses her as to why her Godmother, Eliza, is standing there with a mournful expression on her face. Her eyes are red, and it looks like she’s been crying.

 

"Eliza? What are you doing here?” Kara asks her confusion only growing when Eliza pulls her into a hug.

 

Eliza pulls away and leads Kara out into the empty corridor. She kneels, so she’s eye level with Kara and gently rests her hands of Kara’s shoulders.

 

“Something happened.” Tears start to form in her eyes. “Your parents were in a car accident earlier today.”

 

Kara can already feel it. She knows what’s coming, but she hopes that it isn’t true or that this is all some big misunderstanding.

 

“They died,” Eliza chokes on the words and pulls Kara in for a hug, “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

 

It’s there, in that bland corridor of her middle school, that Kara’s entire world changes. She can hear her heart beating erratically, hell, she can feel it. Her parents are dead; the two people she’s spent her entire life idolizing, gone. She doesn’t scream or shout out of grief or anger, lets her tears fall freely down her face as she hugs Eliza back.

 

* * *

 

Kara hadn’t lost a wife as Thomas had, but she had lost both of her parents at an age where everything makes an impression on you. So, she does know what it feels like to experience loss. She knows that feeling of pain that courses through your veins and the gaping hole that forms inside you and never seems to fill.

 

Thomas drops his head into his hands. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles before looking back up, “I shouldn’t have shouted at you, you’re only doing your job.” He wipes the tears away from his eyes.

 

Kara nods in understanding. “Can you tell us when you last saw or spoke to your wife?” She pulls out a small notepad and pen.

 

“Um,” he rights himself in his chair, “she got home from work on Wednesday at around five o’clock. But she went out again at a little after seven.”

 

“Why’d she go out?” Kara asks, writing the information down.

 

“Her and few other teachers at the school do this thing where they’ll grade papers for a few hours. Naomi said that it helped boost morale to mark with other teachers,” he explains.

 

“Did you speak to her at all after that?”

 

“No. I tried calling her at nine, but when I got no answer, I figured she was driving or didn’t hear it.”

 

“Has she been acting differently in the past few months?” Lena asks.

 

“She was a little out of it a few months ago; I asked her if anything was wrong, but she just told me work was stressful. Then in the last month and a half, she seemed to go back to her normal self.”

 

“Does she have any reason to be in the financial district of the city?” Lena asks.

 

“No, why do you ask?”

 

“That’s where we found her, and we just need to know if it’s normal for her to be there during the night.”

 

“Um, no, I can’t think of any reason she’d be out there.”

 

“And, where were you two nights ago?” Lena asks as casually as she can. Thomas says nothing. “I’m sorry, but I have to ask,” Lena explains.

 

“No, I know. I’m sorry, it’s just…” he trails off. After a second, he shakes himself off. “Um, I was home with my kids all night.”

 

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Baker,” Kara says. She stands from the loveseat they’d been sitting on. “If we have any more questions or learn anything new, we’ll be sure to contact you.”

 

“We’re very sorry for your loss,” Lena says.

 

He nods and walks off, presumably towards the backyard. Lena and Kara let themselves out, not wanting to be any more of an intrusion. As they walk back to Kara’s car, the laughter they’d heard when they first approached the house is gone; silence now encases the home.

 

It’s a little after ten o’clock in the morning when Kara and Lena walk back into the bullpen, heading directly to their desks. They both drop into their chairs, Kara sinks back into hers, and Lena reads through the rest of the coroner’s report.

 

“I don’t think he did it,” Kara says aloud while staring up at the ceiling.

 

It’s no secret that when someone is murdered, the prime suspect is always that spouse or partners. However, after speaking with Thomas Baker, Kara got the feeling that this man had not killed his wife.

 

“Can I ask why?” At the quizzical look that Kara shoots Lena, she further explains. “I don’t either, but I’m curious as to why you don’t think he did.”

 

“I could see that pain grow inside of him when we told him that Naomi was dead. I saw a black hole open up inside him. We didn’t see a murderer pretending to grieve; we saw a husband unravel at the seams because he would never see his wife and mother of his children again. Those emotions and that kind of pain, that’s not something you can fake.”

 

Lena watches Kara explain herself, and it shocked her that it wasn’t fact bases – not that there was a whole lot of facts, to begin with. She’s an excellent detective and can see that Kara was talking from a personal kind of experience that had left a lasting impression on her.

 

“Hey.” Lucy drops into the chair beside Kara’s desk and leans her crutches against the desk, effectively ending their previous conversation.

 

“Lucy?” Kara turns to Lucy with a questioning look. “What’re you doing here?”

 

“I cannot take being at home for another day, okay? It’s driving me insane not being here. I don’t know how much more daytime TV I can watch.”

 

“Henshaw isn’t going to be happy,” Kara sing-songs as she pulls up her emails.

 

“I don’t care. I’m not going home. I’ll gladly be on desk duty for the next six months if it means I don’t have to go home.” Lucy huffs. “I’m Lucy by the way,” she turns awkwardly in the seat and offers and hand for Lena to shake.

 

“I figured.” Lena smiles kindly and returns to handshake. “When Kara was showing me around she mentioned that our sergeant broke her leg,” Lena looks at the leg in question.

 

“Yeah, and you know what? It fucking sucks.” Kara stifles a laugh at Lucy’s bluntness. “I can’t do anything or go anywhere. It thought it wouldn’t be too bad because at least I’d get a cast and people could write or draw nice things on it. But Alex drew this massive picture right in the center of it, and Maggie wrote a pun on it. So, now, I have to stare at it all day.”

 

Kara bursts out laughing.

 

“What’d they do?” Lena asks in honest curiosity.

 

Lucy turns in her seat and shows the crude drawing Alex did and the pun Maggie wrote, causing Lena to stifle a laugh of her own.

 

“It’s… artistic,” Lena remarks as she looks at the drawing in the center of Lucy’s cast.

 

“Sergeant Lane,” Captain Henshaw’s voice sounds from behind them, “I thought you were supposed to be on leave for the next eight weeks, resting.”

 

“Well, the term ‘leave’ is so subjective, and I genuinely find my work relaxing. So, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me come back to work. I won’t go out in the field or anything; I can get far ahead on my paperwork and what not. Please?”

 

“Fine, just no field work until you get a doctor’s note,” Captain Henshaw leaves, and Lucy grins ear-to-ear.

 

“You’re a workaholic; you know that?” Kara remarks with a grin.

 

“Yeah,” Lucy shrugs, “but can you blame me, my job is awesome.”

 

The ding of the elevator draws their attention away from their conversation and to the person disembarking: Police Commissioner Lane. Kara, Lena, and Lucy watch as he politely greets a few rookie officers before walking into Captain Henshaw’s office.

 

“Does he often stop by?” Lena asks.

 

“No,” Lucy curtly replies as she stares at the closed door of Captain Henshaw’s office.

 

“Do you know why he’s here?” Kara asks.

 

“Nope,” Lucy looks back to Lena and Kara, “but if I had to guess I’d say he’s going to tell me that I should consider taking the lieutenant’s or captain’s exam.”

 

“Why? You’re already a sergeant, and from what I’ve heard, you’re a great one too,” Lena says.

 

“Yeah, well, he’s always annoyed me about doing more. When I first signed up to the academy, he was proud because he thought that I’d one day be working down at the police headquarters. But when I said that I’d rather work the streets, I swear he thought that I’d failed him or something. That’s the whole reason I became a sergeant: so he’d leave me alone.”

 

“I’m sorry, Lucy,” Lena says

 

“It’s okay; I’ve learned to deal with it. Anyway,” her tone shifts, “how’s the case going?”

 

“Dr. Grant was able to get us an ID, so we told the husband, but other than that, we’ve got no possible motive,” Kara says.

 

“The husband did tell us that it was unusual for her to be out in the financial district,” Lena says flicking through her notes.

 

“Well, you two are brilliant detectives. I know you’ll figure it out.”

 

“Thanks for the confidence, but still, this case is… unusual. Here, look at this.” Lena pulls out a photo of the crime scene. “At first glance, it looks like a mugging gone wrong, but when you look closer, you can see that the details are all wrong. Not to mention the fact that she’s a teacher, probably earning no more than sixty-five thousand dollars a year, and her entire outfit at the very least, would cost ten thousand dollars.”

 

“Case giving you issues, ladies?” a voice from behind them asks. Kara, Lena, and Lucy all turn their heads to the voice, seeing the Commissioner standing behind them. “What have you got?” He approaches the desks and peers down at the crime scene photos.

 

“A gunshot victim,” Lena explains.

 

“Looks to me like it’s a mugging gone wrong,” Commissioner Lane says.

 

“At first glance it does, but as I was just saying to Lucy, the closer you look at it, the more obvious that it wasn’t one.” Lena rearranges the photos, revealing a close up of the victim.

 

“What’s the victim’s name?” he asks, picking up the photo of the woman.

 

“Naomi Baker,” Kara answers. She looks to Lena and Lucy, slightly confused at the Commissioners apparent interest in the photo of the woman. “She was an AP history teacher over at National City High School.”

 

“Are you okay, sir?” Lena asks when the Commissioner doesn’t say anything and continues to look at the picture in his hand.

 

“Hm?” He looks away from the picture. “Yes, I’m fine.”

 

“Do you know her?” Kara asks, taking the picture from his outstretched hand.

 

“No,” he quickly answers. “Anyway,” he straightens his posture, “I don’t want you ladies spending too much time and resources on this case. It’s usually the obvious answer that’s right in these cases.” He turns to address Lucy next. “Lucy, can I speak to you for a moment.”

 

“Sure.” She gathers her crutches and walks away with her father, rolling her eyes over her shoulder as she does so.

 

"That was weird,” Lena says once Commissioner Lane and Lucy are out of earshot.

 

“Extremely,” Kara nods in agreement.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading to the end, really appreciate it. I would love to hear your feedback (if you have any). Also, not every chapter will be plot related, so if there's anything you wanna see in this story, let me know and I'll see if I can work it in.
> 
> I am aware that there are some inaccuracies in this chapter and other chapters, but I don't want to draw the story out for fifty chapters so I've changed a few things for the sake of time, but I have tried to be as accurate as possible. Thanks again for reading :)


	4. Her Eyes Hide a Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize that this took so long to release; I would have liked to get this chapter out a few days ago, but I was severely lacking creativity (it was a real pain). But I got there in the end. Anyway, if you see a mistake let me know and I'll fix it up, or you can just ignore it, that's cool too.
> 
> Enjoy :)

 

* * *

 

When one of Maxwell Lord’s secretaries usher Kara and Lena into his office, the windows that span the entire length of the office and go from the floor to the ceiling is the first thing that Kara notices. They’re on one of the top levels of the building, making for a perfect view of National City’s skyline.

 

Kara’s always loved the sky, finding it to be incredibly calming to look up and imagine herself soaring through the clouds and over the buildings. She imagines that it would be liberating too; having the freedom to go anywhere with the wind blowing in her face and the city sounds a distant memory; what she wouldn’t give to be able to freely sore throughout the sky.

 

The size of the office they’re in is another thing that Kara notices: it’s enormous. Far larger than any reasonably sized office and certainly larger than any one person would need. There’s a sitting area with leather bound couches off to one side, a bar space in the corner that appears to be stocked with a variety of expensive liquors, and a clean desk centered in front of the windows with two sitting chairs in front of it.

 

“Impressive isn’t it,” a man says. It’s a question but he doesn’t phrase it as one, and from Kara’s peripheral vision, she can see Lena rolling her eyes at the obvious smugness present in the man.

 

Kara turns away from the windows to face the man, a smile that she’s learned to master over the years when dealing with arrogant people, plastered on her face.

 

Kara’s kind to everyone – it’s just who she is – but she’s also a human being who can find some people and their personality annoying; arrogant people who think they’re above everyone else being those people. Maxwell Lord falls into this group. She’s never had a lengthy conversation with the man, but she has dealt with him a few times, back when she was a rookie officer, and Alex had him in for questioning concerning one of her cases. So, she’s relatively familiar with him, but from the fact, the Lena sounded annoyed at having to speak with Maxwell, she’s guessing that Lena is more familiar with him than she is.

 

“Mr. Lord,” Kara greets, offering the man a polite smile and handshake, “I’m Detective-”

 

"Danvers, yes, I know,” he interrupts. “And Lena,” he looks to Lena and flashes her a smile that brings up feelings of discomfort in both women. “It’s nice to see you again.” He shakes the hand that Lena offers purely to be polite.

 

“It’s Detective Luthor, actually – has been for some time now,” she greets back with a hint of sass, a polite smile on her face that she fakes.

 

“Well then, how can I help you two today?” he asks, walking over to his desk and gesturing to the two chairs opposite. Kara and Lena remain standing, knowing full well that standing is the best way to intimidate and gain information from someone like Maxwell Lord.

 

“Are you aware that a woman was found murdered in one of the alleyways that neighbor this building?” Kara asks bluntly and directly.

 

“I am, and it’s such a shame, but I don’t think I’ll be able to provide you with any useful information. If there is anything I can do to help, though, please let me know.” The words are meant to sound sincere, but from their delivery, they seem anything but genuine. He’s distracted as he says the words; aimlessly flicking through the few files on his desk and arranging loose papers into an orderly stack.

 

“There is, actually,” Lena says, and when Maxwell looks up, both Detectives can see annoyance present on his face, but also something else. Discomfort? Fear?

 

“How can I help then?” he asks, as calmly as possible.

 

“We spoke to your head of security,” Kara explains, “He told us that on the second Thursday of every month, between the hours of four and six AM, the security system undergoes maintenance and is offline for those hours. And it just so happens that that was when some murdered Naomi Baker.” Kara knows she probably shouldn’t be revealing the victim’s name, but she has a feeling that Maxwell knows something, so she hopes that the name may trigger something in him.

 

“Naomi Baker?” he asks, sitting upright and forgoing the papers on his desk in favor of attentively listening.

 

Lena, catching on to Kara’s plan, explains further. “Yes, her name is Naomi Baker. Do you know her?”

 

“No, no,” he rushes out, slightly distracted and seemingly pulled into his thoughts.

 

Kara and Lena exchange a glance, both knowing that Maxwell more than likely just lied and does know their victim.

 

“Are you okay, Mr. Lord?” Kara asks, and at Kara’s question, Maxwell snaps back into alertness.

 

“Yes, I’m fine,” he answers. “I’m sorry, what did you need my help with?”

 

Kara leaves the fact that he lied about knowing their victim, and instead addresses the reason they came to visit. “We’re just wondering if there’s any possibility that someone could've leaked the security system maintenance schedule.” Kara watches him as she says this, searching for any signs of a lie.

 

Maxwell seemingly eases when the topic of knowing the victim is left. “As far as I know, the list of people who know are kept to a minimum and people who do know are vetted first. Wouldn’t want just anyone to know when our systems are down,” he says, attempting to make a joke.

 

“Right, well, thank you for your time,” Kara says. Her and Lena start moving towards the office’s doors.

 

“If you have any other questions, please let me know,” Maxwell says, clearly more comfortable now that the interview is over.

 

They wait until they’re in Kara’s unmarked cruiser before they say anything, not wanting an employee to overhear the details of their case.

 

“He knows something,” Lena says the instant they pull the car doors closed. “He knows something, and he won’t tell us.”

 

“He was probably scared, to be honest. A man like him is probably used to having complete control and power over any given situation, so to have us asking questions he’d rather not answer would make him a little uncomfortable.” Kara starts up the car and pulls out into the midday traffic.

 

“Regardless, he knows something, and if I had to guess, he knows our vic.”

 

“Definitely,” Kara agrees, “When I mentioned her name, he seemed to snap into alertness.”

 

“But I feel like he’s some sort of middle man to be completely honest.”

 

“Why’s that?”

 

“I have known Maxwell for a while, and don’t get me wrong, he’s certainly ambitious, but I’ve never known him to do something alone.”

 

“Who do you think he’s working for?” Kara glances over at Lena when she stops at a red light.

 

“If I had to guess, I’d say it’s someone who has far more power than him, which isn’t an extensive list, or, it’ll be someone who has something on him.”

 

Lena gets pulled into her thoughts for the umpteenth time this case, processing the facts that they already had and the new theory they were working with. Still, the case was making less sense the more she thought about it.

 

“Do you wanna get something for lunch?” Kara asks.

 

“Pardon?” Lena looks over at Kara, having not heard what she’d said.

 

“Do you wanna get something for lunch?” she repeats, glancing over at Lena as she asks.

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

“Great.” Kara smiles. “I know this cool little diner. It’s called DineRite, and it has the _best_ mac and cheese ever.” Kara’s excitement builds as she talks about the diner, and Lena smiles at the enthusiasm.

 

* * *

 

When they walk under the threshold of the establishment, Lena is instantly hit with the warmth that seems to fill it. It’s cold outside, so it could just be because the diner is significantly warmer than outside, but there’s an inexcusable warmth that seems to fill it.

 

From the outside, the diner looks just like any other building in the area: made of old brick and a glass window with the words ‘DineRite Diner’ printed on it. The inside is a different story, though; it’s almost like stepping back in time. It’s got the black and white checked flooring and the red booths that are synonymous with American diners from the fifties. There are photos and artwork lining the walls, only adding to the charm of the place. There’s even a small pinball machine off to one side.

 

Kara leads them over to one of the smaller booths along the back wall. She sits on one side, and Lena sits opposite.

 

“This place is incredible,” Lena says in awe as she looks around.

 

“Right!” Kara smiles brightly. “I found it when I was on one of my first patrols as a rookie officer. I was starving, and this was the only place I could find that was open. They have the _best_ mac and cheese, and they do a killer root beer float. I think they have some of the best food money can buy,” Kara says with a smile, “but that’s just my humble opinion.”

 

Kara doesn’t take people to the DineRite Diner – she hasn’t even told Alex about it. It’s something that she holds very close to her heart. She loves that she has a place she can go where no one knows her and she can simply just… exist.

 

All that being said though, there’s something about Lena that intrigues her. Lena’s personality and way of thinking amaze Kara, and she genuinely wants to get to know her. So, she figures that showing her something close to her will help them cross the bridge between partners to friends.

 

“Alright then, I take it you’ll be getting the mac and cheese and root beer float,” Lena smiles and reaches for the menu. She scans through it for a moment. “However, as much as I want to try this mac and cheese you’re raving about,” Kara grins, “the lasagne sounds very nice.”

 

“It is, but Lena, mac and cheese,” Kara says in place of an actual argument.

 

They place their orders with the kind waitress who comes to their table, and much to Kara’s (only slight) disappointment, Lena doesn’t get the mac and cheese, instead opting for the lasagne and a cup of coffee. She does, however, promise to try the mac and cheese the next, and Kara smiles wide at that. Not only because Lena said she’d try the mac and cheese, but also because Lena said they’d come back. As in together. Kara isn’t sure why that makes her smile so much, nor is she particularly aware of it.

 

The diner is relatively empty, so it was only a little after ten minutes that the same waitress was placing their meals in front of them.

 

"You know, you never did tell me why you moved to National City,” Kara says once they’ve both finished their meals.

 

Lena tenses up for a brief second, and it’s not because Kara is asking her a question. She’d gladly talk to Kara for hours (though she isn’t sure why), but she’s hesitant to dump all of her emotional baggage onto this kind woman she’s known for all of two days.

 

Kara sees this. She sees Lena tense up and knows that she doesn’t want to get into the details of her past, and Kara can’t blame her for that, hell, she gets it. After all, they’ve only known each other for two days, and this lunch is the first thing they’ve done that isn’t case related.

 

“Hey,” Kara subconsciously reaches out for Lena’s hand that’s resting on the table, “you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

 

Kara’s not a fool, and she’s seen enough of the news and spoken to Clark enough to know why Lena probably left Metropolis for National City. But she doesn’t care what some reporter or her cousin says, she wants to know _Lena’s_ reason for leaving.

 

It’s only when Lena pulls her hand away, that Kara realizes she’d been holding it. She misses the warmth for some reason.

 

“Sorry,” Kara apologizes and pulls her hand away, a noticeable gap now between the two.

 

The silence seems to draw out between the two and is only broken when Kara’s phone starts to ring from her coat pocket. Kara shuffles through her coat, trying to locate her phone.

 

"Hey, Lucy,” Kara greets into the phone after looking at the caller ID. “What’s up?”

 

_“A man just came into the precinct, said you and Lena spoke to him this afternoon. Said his name is Thomas Baker. Ring any bells?_

 

“Yeah, he’s our vic’s husband.” At Kara’s explanation, Lena looks over the table, her brows furrowed in confusion.

 

“Who’s on the phone?” Lena silently asks.

 

“Lucy,” Kara answers. “Why’d he come in?” Kara asks into the phone.

 

_"He said he found something of his wife’s that he wants you to have. He’s still here because he also wants to talk to you two.”_

 

“Alright, thanks, Lucy. We’ll be back as soon as we can.” Kara ends the call and slips her phone into her pocket. She grabs some money and stands, pulling her coat on as she does so.

 

“Why’d Lucy call?” Lena asks as she too stands and slips her coat on, placing enough money on the table to cover her meal and a tip.

 

“Mr. Baker is down at the precinct,” Kara explains, “Lucy says he found something and wants to talk to us.”

 

* * *

 

The ride back to the precinct is relatively silent, only broken by the low murmur of tunes coming from the radio in Kara’s car. They’re both focused on the fact that they have a potential lead for their case, which, up until now, has led to nothing but confusion and dead ends.

 

They walk into the bullpen in a speedy haste and Lucy points over to the empty conference room where Kara and Lena can see Mr. Baker waiting.

 

“So sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Baker,” Kara apologizes as she closes the door and sits down in one of the chairs beside Lena.

 

“It’s fine.”

 

“Can we get you anything? A snack or something to drink?” Lena asks, wanting to make everything as easy for Mr. Baker as possible.

 

“I’m okay, thank you,” he smiles kindly at the offer, but Lena and Kara can both see the obvious pain his smile is trying to mask.

 

“Our sergeant said you found something?” Lena prompts.

 

“Yes,” he pulls out a mobile phone. “A little after you two left this morning I started thinking about what you’d asked: if Naomi had been acting differently. And I said that she had been, but I kept thinking about it, and it just seemed more out of character for her.”

 

“How so?” Lena asks, writing the information down into her notepad.

 

"It’s hard to explain to someone who doesn’t know her, but I kind of knew she was lying when she said she was just stressed out by work. It seemed like she was going through her day without really living it. If that makes any sense?”

 

Kara and Lena both nod. They share a puzzled glance, not sure how this information ties into the case, but both knowing that it does.

 

“What about the phone?” Kara asks as she picks the phone up from the table.

 

“About an hour ago, I found it under a loose floorboard.”

 

“A loose floorboard?” Kara asks, confused as to why a teacher would hide a phone under her floor.

 

“Yeah. It was on her side of the bed, so I never noticed it.”

 

“Do you have any idea why your wife would hide a phone under a loose floorboard?” Kara asks.

 

“No.”

 

“Did you find anything else with the phone?”

 

“I did actually,” Mr. Baker pulls out two SD cards and hands them over to Kara.

 

"Any idea what’s on them?” Kara asks as she hands the SD cards to Lena.

 

“No.”

 

“Alright, well, thank you for coming in today. If we have any more questions or learn anything new, we’ll be sure to contact you,” Kara says.

 

“Mr. Baker nods in affirmation and leaves the room, walking over to the elevator.

 

“So, what do you make of these?” Lena asks as she looks at the SD cards and phone in her hand.

 

“No idea, but I know a guy who might be able to help us.”

 

* * *

 

After a quick elevator ride, Kara leads herself and Lena through the corridors of the second floor, eventually reaching their intended destination. It's an office that's dark, only lit by the various computer screens that litter the room. A large screen lays dormant and hangs from the wall, multiple pieces of technology cover the surfaces around the room, and a wastebasket overflows with balled up pieces of paper.

 

“Winn, there you are,” Kara greets as her and Lena walk into the dark room.

 

“Hey,” Winn smiles up at his friend from his computer. “Who are you?” he addresses Lena.

 

“Lena Luthor,” Lena supplies, “I just transferred from Metropolis a few days ago. Kara and I are partners.”

 

“Cool. It’s very nice to meet you. So, how can I help you two today?”

 

“We’re wondering if you could tell us what’s on these,” Kara hands Winn the two SD cards and phone.

 

“I’ll have a look right now.” He plugs the two SD cards into the computer. “The SD cards look like they’re protected with an encrypted password.”

 

“Seems unusual,” Lena says.

 

“Yeah, don’t normally see that, but I should be able to get in. It might take me a while because I’m a little busy today, but I’ll have a look for you.”

 

“And the phone?” Kara asks.

 

“That should be easy." He plays around with the phone. “Just a simple six-digit password to break through. Here we go,” he breaks through the password and pulls up the logs for it on his computer. “I’ve sent everything that’s on the phone to the printer; you two can just read through it yourselves. But it says here that it was last used a little before seven, two days ago, and that it’s registered to a one Violet Lucas.”

 

“That can’t be right,” Kara says, a small crinkle forming between her eyebrows.

 

“Excuse you, do you doubt my expertise?” Winn feigns hurt, “Because I can get someone else to help you.”

 

“Oh, hush. It’s just that this phone was found in our victim’s house by her husband.”

 

“So?”

 

“Her name isn’t Violet Lucas; it’s Naomi Baker.”

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I'm actually really excited to write the rest of this story. I cannot wait for the big reveal at the end, which is kind of mean that I'm teasing it considering it won't be for a while - sorry 'bout that. But I am REALLY excited. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, really appreciate it. I was really happy with how this chapter turned out, so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. 
> 
> Thanks again :)


	5. The Things Her Eyes Have Seen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if there are mistakes and errors in this update, I have tried to find them all, but I'm not perfect. Feel free to let me know if you see any mistakes and I'll fix 'em up. Also, sorry if it seems like I'm moving through this story fast. I am trying to take it as slow as possible, but I don't want to draw things out for too long. Also also, if I repeat myself from chapter-to-chapter, I again apologize.
> 
> Anyway, enough from me. Enjoy the update :)

 

* * *

 

Once Kara and Lena thank Winn for his help, they leave his office and ride the elevator up to their floor. They both get a little lost in their own thoughts as the new information washes over them.

 

 _Naomi hid a phone under a loose floorboard in her house. It wasn’t registered in her name, so why did she have it?_ Lena thinks. _Why? Why would she do that, and why would she hide it?_

 

The elevator dings, signaling their arrival on the fifth floor. Kara and Lena step off, along with the other few officers and detectives. Lena’s instantly hit with the chaotic sounds of the bullpen as her and Kara walk over to their desks. She tunes them out though, finding herself immersed in the case once more.

 

 _She had a secret phone_ , Lena thinks, _what reason would a high school history teacher have for keeping a secret phone? A phone that isn’t even registered in her name no less!_

 

“Okay,” Kara says as she rubs the bridge of her nose, pushing her glasses up her nose, “first things first, who is Violet Lucas?”

 

Kara’s question pulls Lena from her thoughts, and she realizes that she’s already searching for a Violet Lucas in National City. “Already on it.” She continues to type away, comparing the phone number they already have to each Violet Lucas she finds. “Found her.” The look of achievement that graces her face vanishes in an instant when she pulls up a picture of her driver’s license.

 

“What is it?” A crinkle forms between Kara’s eyebrows and she uses her swivel chair to push herself around to Lena’s desk.

 

“This is her,” Lena says as she angles her screen slightly so Kara can better see it.

 

“That’s Naomi Baker.”

 

“Nope, this is Violet Lucas,” Lena says as she continues to read. “There isn’t a lot on her. No medical history, no record of a passport, and up until a few months ago, she didn’t seem to exist.”

 

“It’s not exactly possible for a person to not exist.”

 

“I know, but I’m just telling you what I can see, and aside from that, the only things we know is that she’s thirty-seven, not married, has no known children and is unemployed.”

 

“Any relatives?”

 

“No, she’s all alone.”

 

“Okay,” Kara leans back in her chair. “Is there an address?” Kara sits back up, unknowingly sitting closer to Lena.

 

“She lives at one-fifteen Barlton Street, apartment 2B,” Lena reads.

 

“That’s right on the outskirts of the financial district; no more than six blocks from the alley where Naomi Baker was found.”

 

“We need to go and speak with Violet Lucas, then.”

 

Lena and Kara stand simultaneously, bumping into each other due to their closeness.

 

“Sorry.” On instinct, Kara reaches out and holds Lena steady by her forearms, causing them to be in each other’s space. They lock eyes for a brief second, and silence falls between them.

 

Lena finds herself getting momentarily lost in Kara’s eyes, imagining herself looking up into the sky on a cloudless day. She shakes herself from her thoughts though, now very much aware of their closeness and hectic nature of the bullpen around them.

 

“We should,” Lena points a thumb over her shoulder, causing Kara to drop her hands.

 

“Um, yeah,” Kara answers, seemingly being pulled from thoughts of her own.

 

* * *

 

As much as Lena loves driving, Kara drives them out to Violet Lucas’s apartment. She doesn’t quite know her way around the city yet, having only been there for three days.

 

As they drive throughout the city, making their way towards the financial district, Lena stares out the window, taking in the sights around them. They aren’t in the financial district, so the buildings that surround them are mostly old factories that have been converted into apartment buildings, as well as a few brownstones sprinkled throughout.

 

When they pull up to a red light, Kara taps on the steering wheel as she peers out through the windscreen, while Lena looks out the passenger side window, watching as children walk with parents towards the nearby park. She can hear their laughter and sounds of happiness through the sealed car and traffic, it makes her smile slightly, but she also feels a pang of sadness.

 

Lena remembers when she would play in the park after school when she was a young child. She only ever did it back in Ireland with her birth mother, but she still smiles when she thinks about it — remembering the days where, even though it was rainy and cold, her mother would still take her to the park. She never got that when she was adopted by the Luthors, having been sent away to boarding school as soon as she was old enough.

 

“Here we are,” Kara says as she pulls her keys from the ignition. She peers up at the building in question from her seat. “It’s a nice place,” she remarks.

 

Lena leans over the center console, consciously making sure to stay out of Kara’s space. She isn’t sure why she felt so… alive when Kara’s hands were on her forearms, but she knows that she can’t dwell on it, regardless of the reasons.

 

“Yeah, it is,” Lena agrees, a little surprised herself at the overall appearance of the building before them.

 

Considering the fact, the Violet Lucas is unemployed, Lena expected her to be living in some generic, old, rundown, brick building. But instead, the building before them looks well kept. It’s still brick, but it’s been well looked after and maintained. The paint on the window frames aren’t peeling, the fire escape doesn’t look rusted, and the iron railings that lead up to the entryway have an interesting and almost intricate pattern.

 

The building only has three levels, so there’s no elevator to take them up. Even the stairs of the building look well maintained; the wooden steps not having any dents or scratches, and the painted hallway not at all peeling or housing spiders in the corners.

 

They walk up the stairs and towards the apartment in silence, the only sound either of them hear is their shoes against the wooden floors.

 

Kara knocks once on the door, and instead of being met with the resistance of the solid wooden door, it opens slightly, allowing light to escape out into the hall. Kara and Lena exchange a puzzling glance, unsure as to why the door would be open.

 

“Violet Lucas,” Kara calls out as she pushes to door open a little further, allowing them to see inside. “I’m we’re with the NCPD.”

 

There’s no response, and again, Kara and Lena exchange a glance.

 

“Miss Lucas, are you home?” Lena calls out.

 

Again, there’s no response.

 

Kara uses her foot to nudge the door all the way open, revealing a living room as she does so. Lena leads the way in, Kara following behind. They call out a few more times, in the hopes that someone may be in the apartment, but it’s quickly confirmed that they’re alone.

 

“It’s a pretty nice place,” Kara remarks as they stand in the living room, looking around the room.

 

“Mmm,” Lena hums her agreement as she looks around.

 

The apartment looks lived in, not nearly as lived in as the Baker’s house, but still lived in. There’s a small stack of books beside a dark blue colored couch, a TV guide on the coffee table, which strikes Lena as unusual given that no one uses TV guides anymore. And from where Lena is standing, she can see there are plates and cutlery drying beside the sink, along with an almost empty glass of water on the counter.

 

Lena wanders off towards the bathroom and bedroom, while Kara looks around the kitchen and living room.

 

She doesn’t want to be nosy, but the closet door is open, so she peers inside and finds an entire collection of designer labels.

 

“Hey, come check this out,” Lena calls.

 

"What’s up?” Kara asks as she walks into the bedroom to stand beside Lena.

 

“Look.” she points to the clothes hanging in the closet.

 

“Oh,” Kara looks at the clothes in question, “I’m no fashion expert, but I’m gonna guess that these are all designer labels.”

 

"Your guess would be correct,” Lena peers into the closet, taking in the dresses, shirts, pants, skirts, and shoes that fill it. “Here,” Lena points to a pair of heels and dress, “these are from the same collection as the clothes we found Naomi in.”

 

“I also found this,” Kara shows Lena a wallet. “If the driver’s license and credit card are anything to go by, I’d say this is Naomi’s.” Kara hands the wallet over to Lena.

 

“I wonder why Violet has this?” Lena asks.

 

“What if Violet and Naomi are long lost sisters. That could explain why Naomi was acting differently for a few months.”

 

“Then why didn’t Naomi’s husband ever mention it?” Lena faces Kara now. They’re standing a little more than two feet apart and are slowly moving towards each other. “If you find your long lost sister, I’d imagine that you’d want to tell your husband.”

 

“True,” Kara stares off and thinks for a minute, before bringing her attention back to Lena. “Okay, then, let’s say they aren’t sisters.”

 

“Okay?”

 

“Let’s pretend that they’re the same person; that Naomi and Violet are the same. Either Violet created Naomi or Naomi created Violet.”

 

“Why would either of them do that, though?”

 

“No idea, but go with it for a sec. Suppose Naomi created Violet out of thin air.”

 

“Again though, why? Naomi had a family, a stable job, friends. Pretty much everything to make a person happy.”

 

“Her husband told us why she would,” Kara says in realization, unintentionally moving closer to Lena. “Mr. Baker said that Naomi had been acting differently. According to him, Naomi was going through her day without really living it.”

 

“Right!” Lena catches on to what Kara is suggesting; again, they unknowingly move closer together. “Maybe she got bored with her life and created a new one. One where she didn’t have any responsibilities; where she could just live.”

 

“Exactly!” They move closer again until their faces aren’t much more than six inches apart. “Now the real question though. Was it something in Violet’s life or Naomi’s life that got her killed?”

 

The question stumps both of them, causing them to look away from each other. When Kara and Lena do look back at each other, they realize just how close they are.

 

“Sorry,” they both mumble as they step away from each other, looking anywhere except at each other.

 

After looking around the apartment and coming up with nothing else that could be useful, Kara and Lena find the landlord and ask him a few questions about Violet. They don’t learn much else. According to the landlord, he would sometimes go days without seeing her, and that when he did see her, it was always early in the morning, presumably after a night out.

 

* * *

 

It’s getting late by the time they step off the elevator and back into the bullpen; the only people actually at their desks being Lucy and Maggie, who looks like they’re just about to leave for the day.

 

Kara looks up at the clock she’d been fruitlessly staring at a few days ago, seeing that it’s now a little after six o’clock. As if on cue, Kara can feel her hunger and realizes she hasn’t eaten since one o’clock.

 

“I’m gonna get something to eat,” Kara points over her shoulder to the hallway that houses the floor’s vending machines. “Did you want anything?”

 

“I’m okay. Thank you.”

 

Lena drops into her chair once Kara’s leaves, she leans against the armrest and rests her head on her fist, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. She’s tired, and her brain hurts from functioning for more than twelve hours.

 

“Hey,” a voice pulls Lena’s eyes open, “I wondered when I’d be seeing you again.”

 

Lena smiles when she sees Maggie. They’d been as close as co-workers went when they were both in Metropolis. Maggie had been a detective for several years by the time Lena was starting. They’d become friends at work, never really doing anything outside of work hours, but Lena enjoyed having a friend at work.

 

“I heard from the grapevine that you wound up in the fourth. It’s great to see you again.”

 

And Lena means that. Even though they hadn’t done a whole lot of things that typical friends do, when Maggie left Metropolis, she missed her. She missed having her friend around who she could joke with and engage in playful banter with.

 

“You too.” Maggie leans against Lena’s desk.

 

“How long have you been here now?”

 

“Jeez, I was at the thirty-first for a little bit when I first moved out here, but I think it’s been close to four years. Probably more like three-and-a-half, actually.” Maggie nods at her correction. “Anyway, you enjoying your time out west so far?”

 

“I mean, I’ve just been working, but from that one day I had before I started, I like. Certainly not as cold as Metropolis.”

 

“Hey, Maggie.” Kara drops into her chair, depositing a variety of chips and candy on her desk. “Aren’t you and Alex going out tonight?” she asks as she opens a bag of Sour Patch Kids.

 

“Yeah, I just wanted to finish something up and say hi to Lena. Oh, also, Alex wants me to tell you that your Mom called today; she’s coming down for a few days in two weeks.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I don’t know, maybe because she wants to see her daughters,” Maggie sarcastically replies. Kara rolls her eyes and stuffs several different colored Sour Patch Kids into her mouth. “Anyway, I’ve gotta go. Alex won’t be happy if we lose our reservation. Have a good night you two,” she waves over her shoulder as she grabs her jacket and walks towards the elevator.

 

“Is that your dinner?” Lena asks when her eyes fall to the pile of junk sitting on Kara’s desk.

 

“Maybe,” Kara eats another Sour Patch Kid. “Want one,” she offers the bag to Lena. When Lena waves off the offer, Kara shrugs and eats another one.

 

“We need to talk about this case,” Lena says. “It’s making less sense the more we investigate.”

 

“Okay.” Kara wipes her hands on her pants. “Well, who are the people in her life?” Kara grabs a note pad and pen.

 

“Her husband,” Lena says as Kara writes, “But I don’t think he’s guilty of anything.”

 

“Me, too, his reaction was real; there’s no way he faked it.”

 

“It’s obvious Maxwell Lord knows something; he just won’t tell us.” Kara writes that down.

 

And then, of course, there’s the mystery of who Violet Lucas is.”

 

“Right,” Kara looks back up. “They look exactly alike, and there’s no record of either one of them having a sibling, so I’d say they’re the same person.”

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one was shorter than other chapters. I'd written a chunk of text at the end, but decided that it better fit in the next chapter, which, BTW, should be up in a couple days. Unless, of course, I hit a creative wall. Anyway, thanks for reading 'till the end, really appreciate it. If you have any questions, constructive criticism or just general feedback, feel free to leave a comment.
> 
> Thanks again for reading :)


	6. Their Eyes See it Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this update took a while - I knew what I wanted but I couldn't get the words to work. Anyway, I know I could keep re-reading and re-writing this chapter, but I've already spent several days writing and drafting and then re-writing so I'm a bit done with editing this chapter. Anyway, enough from me.
> 
>  
> 
> Happy reading :)

 

* * *

 

It’s early when Kara first cracks an eye open, that much made evident by the glowing red numbers on the alarm clock that tells her it’s not even five o’clock yet. She sighs and rolls over and burrows her face into her pillow, pulling her comforter up and over her head; determined to enjoy her Sunday where she isn’t on call.

 

As a detective who works in the homicide unit, Kara does get weekends off; however, she’s been on call for almost all of those weekends for a month-and-a-half. So, she’s looking forward to a lazy day where she doesn’t have somewhere to be or something to do.

 

It’s the rain pattering on her window and the low rumble of thunder that pulls Kara from her slumber next. She rolls over and reads her clock, glad that the red numbers now display seven o’clock. She sleepily smiles when she sees that the rain and thunder weren’t part of a dream – loving the days she can spend at home when it’s raining outside.

 

As she continues to wake up, Kara thinks about how she’ll spend her day. She’s thinking of finishing the book she started last week that sits abandoned on her coffee table or maybe having another go of making a pan of brownies. Kara almost gets caught up in the prospects for her day until she remembers that her rent for the month is due today, which prompts her to remember the date.

 

It’s not that Kara forgot the date and the significance it holds in her life, but after the busy week she’s just finished, the date slips her mind.

 

The first of December might be a fairly ordinary day for someone, or maybe it’s an important day like a birthday or anniversary of some sort. However, for Kara, each year the first of December rolls around, it just reminds her that her parents are dead. This year marking sixteen years since Eliza came to her middle school and told her that her parents had been in a fatal car crash.

 

In the sixteen years that have gone by, Kara has made peace with the fact that her parents are gone and that she’ll never see them again. That’s not to say that she doesn’t love them or miss them – she does – she’s just come to accept their death. However, she was never able to accept the circumstances of their death. Kara’s a police officer and started as a traffic cop, so she understands the hit and runs happen a lot.

 

When the accident first happened, she was told that it had been a hit and run, and up until she joined the police academy, and later the NCPD, this is what she believed. She had no reason to think that it was anything else, but when she started learning about hit and runs and seeing them first hand, she realized that her parents’ death didn’t make much sense.

 

She’d read through the case file for her parents’ accident during her second year as an officer. She looked through all the crime scene photos and saw no signs of any skid marks on the road as well as the detective’s notes and saw no mention of skid marks. She also saw the photos of the car; it had gone off the side of a cliff and erupted into flames, burning everything, so there was no way to tell where or how the car had been hit off.

 

Kara knows that no case is perfect and that the facts don't always make sense, but she still found herself getting consumed by it the longer she looked at the files. It never affected her work, but for the eight months that she looked into the case, Kara wasn’t the same person she had always been. She closed herself off and stopped talking to important people in her life, and if it weren’t for those same people seeing that something was wrong and helping her through it, Kara’s not sure she would be where she is today.

 

Kara rolls onto her back and stares up at her bedroom ceiling for a few moments, before she throws her comforter off, deciding to make chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast.

 

An hour passes by, and Kara makes and eats her pancakes (even though she accidentally burns most of them). When her book is just starting to pull Kara into its world, a series of knocks to her door draws her attention away.

 

 _I wonder who that is_ , Kara thinks as she makes her way over to the door, careful not to slip in her fuzzy socks.

 

“Hey?” Kara greets Alex in confusion with a one-armed hug. “What’re you doing here?” Kara steps aside and gestures for Alex to come in.

 

It’s a silly question, and Kara isn’t even sure why it’s a surprise to her that Alex is standing out front of her door. Ever since she moved in with the Danvers, Alex made it a point to spend the first of December with and make sure she was okay. As they got older and Kara had accepted her parents’ death, they wouldn’t spend the day together; mostly because they both didn’t have the time, but Alex still makes sure she comes to see her.

 

“I was just on my way into work and thought I’d come see you,” Alex says as she leans against the kitchen island, “you know, just make sure you’re okay.” Alex says this as casually as possible, but they both know what she’s alluding to. “I also don’t know if you’ve eaten yet, so I got you a bear claw.” Alex hands Kara a white paper bag.

 

“Thank you.” Kara smiles at her sister. “And I am okay. I was actually thinking of having a nice relaxing day in today – it’s the first Sunday that I haven’t been on call in, like, a month-and-a-half.”

 

“Good.” Alex smiles, glad that her sister is okay. “Alright, well, I’ll be down at the precinct all day, so, call me if you need to, okay?”

 

“Sure thing. Oh, and thanks for this.” Kara holds up the bear claw. “I have eaten already, but I burnt my food.”

 

“Of course, you did. “Alex rolls her eyes and laughs a little at her sister’s misfortune in the kitchen as she walks towards the door. “Have a good one,” she calls over her shoulder before she leaves.

 

“You too.”

 

* * *

 

It’s been six hours and forty minutes since Alex left, and Kara is already bored. She’s laying on her couch with her feet dangling off the back and her head the front as she watches the second hand go round the clock face for the second time this week.

 

Kara’s bored again. She remembers why she hasn’t had a Sunday like this in a month-and-a-half: she hates sitting around doing absolutely nothing. She feels like she’s twitching with energy, like her fingers need to flick through some case files or write some notes down, just something to keep her mind occupied.

 

It’s then that her eyes fall to the single evidence box stuffed in the corner. She knows what’s in it and knows that she shouldn’t look at it, but she wants to. Not only because she’s bored and is itching for something to do, but because the facts never really made any sense to her.

 

Kara quickly jumps off the couch and walks almost hesitantly over to the box, pulling it from its corner and over to her coffee table. She sits on the edge of her couch as she pulls the lid off, and marvels down at the notes and files inside.

 

The last time Kara had looked inside this box was six years ago, just before Alex pulled her away from it and told her that obsessing over it won’t bring her parents back.

 

Kara pulls the notes and files out, re-reading through a few pages that catch her eye. It’s nothing she hasn’t seen before – she spent at least several hours a day staring down at these pages once upon a time. Ultimately though, she always comes back to the same thing: the photo of the crime scene taken from the top of the cliff.

 

The photo itself is nothing graphic – she’s seen worse things during her time as a homicide detective – but everything she can see makes her feel as though she’s actually there, looking down the cliff face at the charred remains of her parents’ car. The bare trees and colorless, grey sky create a stark contrast to the once red SUV. It’s black in the photo and looks as though it could crumble if the wind blows too hard, but to this day, Kara still remembers watching the tail end of the car get further and further away once her parents dropped her off at school the morning it all happened.

 

Kara isn’t sure why she kept the evidence box around. She knows it’s not healthy to obsess over a sixteen-year cold case, much less one that’s about her parents, but the words on the page and the various photos in the box pull her in just as they had all those years ago. It isn’t until a loud ringing from her phone that Kara realizes several hours have passed.

 

At the sudden intrusion of the ringing, Kara’s head shoots up from the file sitting in her lap. Her eyes dart around the room, trying to locate the source of the sound, and when she sees her phone sitting on the kitchen counter, she abandons the file and walks over to her phone.

 

Kara’s brow furrows and the crinkle forms between them when she reads the caller ID. “Lena?” They’d texted and called a few times over the past week, but only during work hours or just before work started, never at – Kara looks to the clock on the wall – eight o’clock at night.

 

“Hey, sorry for calling so late.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Kara waves off Lena’s concerns as though they're both in the same room. “What’s up?”

 

“Look, I know you’re not on call tonight, and I’m sure you’re probably having a relaxing day off, but I have news about the case and a theory.”

 

* * *

 

Thirty-five minutes seem to drag out forever as Kara sits on her couch, legs underneath her. She stares out her windows and watches the rain fall to the ground and the occasional flash of lightning off in the distance.

 

When Kara hears a knock at her door, she’s up in a flash and pulls her door open. “Hey,” she greets when she sees Lena standing outside, umbrella by her side and a small puddle of water underneath it. “Come in.” Kara steps aside to allow Lena entry.

 

Kara watches as Lena walks through the threshold, and she sees some of her tension fades away. She smiles when she sees this, though she isn’t sure why it makes her smile when she sees that Lena feels at ease in her apartment.

 

“What’s on your mind?” Kara asks.

 

"Huh.” Lena snaps her head back to Kara. “Oh, right.” Lena shakes herself off and focuses again on why she’s here. “I was thinking about the clothes we found Naomi in and the clothes we saw at Violet’s apartment. They’re designer labels, and everything we saw in Violet’s closet would easily cost more than thirty thousand dollars. So, my question is, where did she get the money to pay for all that?”

 

“Good question. She’s unemployed, so it’s not like she has a regular inflow of cash.”

 

“Exactly.” Lena and Kara unconsciously move closer together, now standing no much more than two feet apart. “So, then I thought that if Violet and Naomi are the same person, then maybe the clothes came from Naomi’s life. But again, that makes no sense. Naomi was a teacher who had two kids and a house in a very nice neighborhood, and her husband is a store manager at their local supermarket. I can’t imagine her having a spare thirty thousand dollars to spend on clothes.”

 

“So, where do you think she got the money to buy the clothes then?”

 

“I think that someone in Violet Lucas’s life was paying for her lifestyle. It explains how she can have such a nice apartment and a closet full of designer labels.”

 

“Who do you think the person is?”

 

“This is where my crazy theory comes in. Initially, I thought it could be Maxwell Lord, but he isn’t the type to keep any sort of relationship out of the media. He flaunts everything he has and wants people to envy him, and we found almost nothing about Violet Lucas that connects her to Maxwell. I think that it’s someone with a lot more to lose than Maxwell. Someone who’s in a very public position of power and likely in a very public relationship.”

 

“That would explain why there’s very little information on Violet Lucas,” Kara says, thinking about Lena’s theory. “There’s not even a trace of her on social media. But, before we can start jumping to all these conclusions, we need solid proof that Violet and Naomi are the same person. As annoying as it is, the fact that they look identical won’t be enough for us to launch an investigation, we need DNA or a fingerprint.”

 

“Which is why I called the forensic people today. I know it’s a bit sketchy, but I an old friend of mine from school works in the forensic lab. I asked her to check the place for prints and DNA.”

 

“What’d she find?”

 

“Every print she found matches Naomi Baker’s, which it shouldn’t because the apartment is registered in Violet’s name and there’s no evidence to suggest that Naomi was every there _as Naomi_.”

 

It’s then that Kara and Lena realize just how close together they are; standing with little more than a foot of space between them. They don’t pull away though, instead staying where they are, both feeling a sort of buzz coursing through their veins at the closeness.

 

Lena’s phone breaks the moment, the ring tone sounding through the entire apartment. Lena steps away and glances at the caller ID, instantly returning to a formal demeanor.

 

“Captain,” she greets, and Kara looks at her with a quizzical expression.

 

Kara can only hear Lena’s side of the call, but from the stunned expression that works its way across Lena’s face, and the fact that she’s only uttering small confirmations, she knows that something happened.

 

“Why’d Henshaw call you?” Kara asks once Lena ends the call and pockets her phone.

 

“A cleaner just found a dead body in an office building.”

 

“Who?”

 

“Maxwell Lord.”

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading 'till the end. If you have any thoughts and what not, feel free to leave a comment. Also, any constructive criticism is more than welcome. And I'm aware that this chapter had an inaccuracy in terms of the workings of the investigative process. I just need the story to progress, so a few inaccuracies will come up, but I do try and keep everything as accurate as possible.
> 
> Thanks again for reading :)


	7. His Cold, Dead Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the nice comments, really love reading them :) As always, just ignore my mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy :)

 

* * *

 

Kara’s shoving her feet into a pair of boots and grabbing a coat to throw over her sweats as soon as Lena says this. Kara’s not on duty, hell, she isn’t even on call, but she knows she needs to be there; she needs to see the crime scene first hand and try to understand what happened.

 

 _This has something to do with our case_ , Kara thinks. She knows it and can feel it in her bones.

 

In the time it takes Kara to grab a pair of shoes and coat, Lena’s already pulled her coat on and is standing by the front door with her umbrella in hand. They’re out the door and walking in an almost synchronized way, through the lobby of Kara’s building within two minutes of getting the call.

 

“It’s not just me right, this has something to do with our case?” Kara asks.

 

“It’s not just you. Maxwell knew something about our case and now he’s been murdered; this isn’t some crazy coincidence.”

 

* * *

 

They’re pulling up out front Lord Technologies in less than fifteen minutes, the roads being mostly empty due to it being close to nine o’clock at night. Kara and Lena walk by several marked police cruisers as they approach the lobby doors to greet the two officers standing out front.

 

They flash their badges to the two officers – Kara receiving a look of confusion from one of the officers at her sweats – and they walk with a purpose over to the bank of elevators.

 

“Did Henshaw say where Maxwell was found?” Kara asks as she calls the elevator to them with a push of a button.

 

“Up in his office.”

 

The exchange a quick glance, one that holds some many questions that need to be answered if they’re ever going to solve the murder of Naomi Baker. The elevator dings, drawing their eyes away from each other and to the doors the glide open.

 

When they step into the elevator, the ambient music that encases them is absolutely ridiculous. It’s the kind of cliché music that plays in elevator scenes from movies and almost makes Kara laugh a little. They’re about to see the dead body of Maxwell Lord, and here they are, standing in an elevator that’s playing happy tunes.

 

The elevator again dings, and they draw their eyes up to watch the doors slide open, revealing two uniformed officers standing guard. The frosted glass doors of Maxwell’s office are already open, allowing Kara and Lena to see the crime scene as they walk towards the office.

 

The large windows that frame the city’s skyline still offer that same impeccable view of the city, but that’s not what catches Kara and Lena’s attention. When they walk into the office, their eyes instantly fall to the sitting area on the left. They can see the top of Maxwell’s head from the door and Dr Grant taking photos of the body, as well as several forensic technicians photographing the scene around the body.

 

“Detectives,” Dr Grant greets as she snaps another photo of the body.

 

“What happened to him?” Kara asks as she takes in Maxwell’s dead body slouching on the couch.

 

His head is lolled to one side and his eyes are frozen in time, staring straight ahead, and seemingly drilling through the wall and anyone who stands in front of him.

 

“You see this?” Dr Grant uses her gloved hand to point at a red line that wraps around Maxwell’s neck. “The lacerations suggest fishing or piano wire was probably used to strangle him. And the thickness suggests that he tried fought his attacker off.”

 

“Do you have a time of death?” Lena asks.

 

“Based on his body temperature, I’d say time of death was no more than two and two and a half hours ago.”

 

“So, between six-thirty and seven o’clock tonight,” Kara says mostly to herself as she looks around the crime scene.

 

“When do you think you’ll have an autopsy report for us?” Lena asks.

 

“I’ve got one other autopsy I need to do before this one. I should be done the autopsy tomorrow afternoon and have my report ready for you on Tuesday.”

 

Lena and Kara nod before they look around the office.

 

“Do we know if he was here with anyone?” Kara asks as she looks down at the coffee table with a single glass and half empty bottle of wine.

 

“There’s only one glass,” Lena points out.

 

“Yeah, but look at the bottle of wine.” Kara turns back to Lena. “The bottle’s half empty and based off the corkscrew, I’d say someone opened this bottle tonight.”

 

“Maybe he just likes to drink,” Lena says.

 

“Maybe, but a man like Maxwell? I doubt he’d be the type to drink half a bottle of wine alone, in his office, on a Sunday night. Also, look at his clothes.” Kara gestures to Maxwell. “His shirt is halfway unbuttoned, and we walked by his tie when we first came in.”

 

“So, you think he was here with someone.”

 

“Yeah, but no idea why he’d bring someone to his office instead of his home though.”

 

“Maybe his ‘friend’ wanted something from his office and managed to lure him back here. Could explain why they’d be here on a Sunday: no one’s around so there’s plenty of privacy.”

 

“We’ll need to get his secretaries to catalog his office and let us know of anything that’s gone missing then.”

 

“I agree, but I don’t think it’ll tell us anything.” At Lena’s statement, Kara gives her a look that urges her to continue. “Maxwell’s a smart guy, arrogant and certainly has a God Complex, but he’s smart. He wouldn’t keep anything incriminating or valuable in his office. He would keep everything like that at some place that no one knows about.”

 

“A storage unit, maybe?”

 

“Maybe, but he lacks the ability to trust others, so I doubt he’d trust some private company to keep his belongings secure.”

 

“A safe at his apartment,” Kara suggests.

 

“Again, that’s unlikely. It’s too obvious,” Lena says, staring out through the expanse of windows as she thinks. “No, I think he would keep anything valuable on property he owns.” Lena looks back at Kara. “But property that no one knows about and is close enough that he can visit it whenever he needs or wants to.”

 

Kara smirks.

 

“What?” Lena asks when she sees the smirk across Kara’s face.

 

“Nothing, it’s just you’re on a bit of a roll, I kinda thought you’d come up with an address or something.”

 

“Very funny.” Lena shoots a meaningless glare at Kara. “Do you know where the cleaner is who found him?” she asks, directing the question towards Dr Grant.

 

“Over there.” She keeps her eyes on her notes and points over her shoulder to a middle-aged woman standing near the elevator with a uniformed officer.

 

Kara and Lena walk over to the woman, each offering her a kind smile.

 

“Hi, I’m Detective Danvers and this is Detective Luthor.” Kara gestures to Lena. “Would you mind if we ask you a few questions?”

 

The woman nods and smiles politely, clearly still a little shaken up by the events that had unfolded tonight.

 

“What time did you find the body?” Lena asks as she takes out a small notebook and pen.

 

“Um, probably eight-thirty or thereabouts.”

 

“Is it unusual for Maxwell to be in his office when you’re cleaning?” Lena asks.

 

“Every now and then I’ll see him in his office if I’m running a little early, but I’ve never seen him when I do a clean on Sunday.”

 

Lena nods as she writes the information down.

 

“Did you see anyone in the building who wasn’t supposed to be here?” Kara asks.

 

“No, sorry.”

 

“That’s okay.” Kara smiles kindly.

 

“Thank you for your time, and if you think of anything else, could you please give us a call,” Lena says as she procures a card with her desk’s phone number on it.

 

“Of course.” The woman takes the card, her hand slightly shaky.

 

Kara and Lena move away from the woman and start speaking in hushed tones.

 

“What’d you make of all this?” Kara asks.

 

“It’s suspicious, obviously. My only thing though, this looks professional.” Lena glances back at the crime scene where forensic technicians are photographing and sampling the scene. “But Naomi’s murder was anything but professional.” She looks back to Kara.

 

“Do you think it’s possible that the same person killed both?”

 

“I certainly think they’re related, but we’ll need actual proof if we’re ever going to get an arrest. However, I don’t think that the same person killed Naomi and Maxwell.”

 

A beat of silence passes before either of them speak again.

 

“Alright, it’s late and we aren’t going to get anywhere tonight,” Kara says as she glances at her watch. “Do you wanna pick this up tomorrow morning?”

 

“Sounds like a plan.”

 

* * *

 

It’s a little before seven o’clock when Kara’s walking through the bullpen and towards her desk, two cinnamon buns and two coffees in hand. She places one of the coffees and pastries in front of Lena who’s already at her desk, reading through a document on her computer.

 

“What’s this for?” Lena asks, looking at the food and coffee before looking up at Kara.

 

“Breakfast,” is all Kara says, as though that explains everything. “I was getting myself something for breakfast and thought I’d get you something too,” Kara further explains when Lena continues to look at her.

 

“Thank you, that’s very thoughtful.” Lena smiles at Kara with gratitude before she takes a sip of the coffee and peers into the paper bag.

 

Kara shrugs and waves off Lena’s thanks before tossing her coat over her chair and sitting down. Once Kara’s unpacked her things, she sees Lena staring off into space, seemingly lost in deep thought. “Hey.” Kara laughs and waves her hand in front of Lena’s face. “You okay there?”

 

“I think I might know where Maxwell would keep things of value,” Lena says as she looks over at Kara. “Come on we’re going for a drive.” Lena stands and grabs her coat, promptly walking over to the elevator

 

“Where?” Kara sounds surprised as she grabs her own coat and stumbles to keep up with Lena.

 

“Can I have your keys?” Lena faces Kara as they’re waiting for the elevator.

 

“Why?” Kara asks. She’s hesitant to hand her keys over, not that she doesn’t trust Lena though. She just prefers to drive herself after what happened to her parents.

 

“Trust me, I’m a good driver – I passed my driver’s test first try,” Lena jokes.

 

“Of course, you did,” Kara laughs, masking her hesitation. “Here.” She hands Lena her keys.

 

* * *

 

They’re twenty minutes into their drive, and with some directions from Kara, Lena quickly manages to get them out of the city.

 

Kara’s sitting in the passenger seat of her car, and it’s a strange feeling to her. She always drives herself, never really feeling comfortable as a passenger after how her parents died, but right now, she feels fine. She’s a little antsy, but Kara attributes that to the mystic of where they’re going. But overall, she feels unusually calm about being in the passenger seat while Lena drives.

 

“So, where are we going, anyway?” Kara asks as she stares out the passenger window, watching the outside world zip by and the suburban homes replace with widely spaced trees on either side of the road.

 

“A piece of land that Maxwell owns.” Lena keeps her eyes fixed on the road in front of her.

 

Kara looks over at her and shoots her a quizzical look. “How do you know about it.”

 

“I’ve mentioned that Maxwell was a family acquaintance,” Lena begins and Kara nods, urging Lena to continue even though she can’t see Kara’s gesture. “Well, he was a little bit more than that.” Lena glances over at Kara to gauge her reaction, but when she’s met with a curious gaze, she continues. “Him and my brother were quite close and whenever we were in National City, they’d go out to a piece of land that the Lord family owned. I’ve never been myself, so I’m a little fuzzy on the directions, but my brother would constantly talk about it and mentioned that Maxwell had built a small cabin on the land when it became his after his parents died.”

 

“How many people know about it, aside from you and your brother?”

 

“No one that I know of. I don’t even think he was aware that I knew about it.”

 

“How come the land didn’t come up when we went through his file?”

 

“As I said, he’s a smart guy so when he got the deed to the property, he probably ‘gifted’ it to a company that he has shares in, this way it wouldn’t come up when people run a search on him. You’d have to run a search on that specific company to see it.”

 

“Smart,” is all Kara can say. What else could she say anyway? It’s a genius move and prompts her to think about what Maxwell would have hidden on this secret piece of land.

 

It’s another twenty minutes before Lena slows the car and turns off the road and onto a dirt driveway. Kara can hear the moment they turn onto the driveway, the sound of dirt and rock below the car’s wheel filling her ears.

 

The driveway stretches on for several yards, but it isn’t long until Kara can see a small structure in a clearing. The dark red paneling that wraps the entire structure looks well worn, and from her position, Kara can see rust on the tin roof and gutters that are clogged with months of foliage. It’s the exact opposite of what Kara expects to see, having thought that Maxwell would own a lavish cabin as opposed to the dingy, single level structure that stands before her.

 

“You ready?” Kara asks as she looks away from the cabin and over to Lena.

 

“Yup.” Lena nods and tosses Kara’s keys to her over the center console.

 

Kara and Lena climb out of the car and walk up the steps and onto the front porch. It creaks below their combined weight, making the age of the home obvious.

 

“Place looks like it’s abandoned,” Kara remarks as she glances over the boarded-up windows.

 

“If it’s abandoned, why would it have new LED lightbulbs?” Lena says, looking up at the porch light.

 

“So, clearly Maxwell’s been here recently,” Kara says as she looks at the lightbulb. Kara scans the front porch again, her eyes falling to the front door that appears to be slightly ajar. “Do you think it’s like Maxwell to leave the front door open?” Kara walks over to the door.

 

“No. Why?” Lena's eyes follow Kara.

 

“Look.” Kara lightly nudges the door with her foot, the door creaking as it swings open to reveal a narrow corridor. “It’s open.”

 

They peer inside, looking down the long, bowling alley-like hallway. There’s very little in the way of furniture they can see: a small living room off to the right with a couch and sitting chair, a single narrow table in the hallway where a single ceramic bowl sits, and a coat stand to their left. The house itself probably isn’t more than twenty years old, but the paint is peeling at the baseboard and cobwebs hang in the corners.

 

Kara’s about to speak again, but before any words can come out of her mouth, she hears an audible creak from further in the house. From her peripheral vision, she sees Lena tense up and her hand snap to hover over her sidearm.

 

They look at each other, seemingly having a telepathic conversation. They wait at the now open front door, their ears angled towards to inside of the house in an attempt to pick up any other sounds; wanting to see if the loud creak was the house settling or another person inside.

 

It’s a minute before either of them tries to move, and just before they do, another creak sounds throughout the house followed by a series of quiet footsteps. It’s clear to both Kara and Lena, that whoever the footsteps belong to, is trying to hide their presence.

 

Kara and Lena look to each other again, having another silent conversation before nodding and walking as silently as possible into the house and towards the kitchen at the back of the house.

 

The floorboards that stretch the entire length of the hallway are old, so Kara and Lena step carefully so as to not cause any loud creaking sounds. But, as careful as they are, when Kara takes another step forward, the boards below her foot sends an audible creak through the house.

 

The creak sounds as though it’s been enhanced in the otherwise silent cabin, and it’s instantaneous that Kara and Lena can hear another person frantically shuffling around, likely about to make a run for it.

 

Resigning to their cover being blown, Kara and Lena run towards the back of the house where they’re met with a bare kitchen. No one’s in there with them, but through the backdoor, they can see a man dressed in all black running into the forest.

 

Kara and Lena dart after him, calling out that they’re NCPD and that he needs to stop running.

 

They push past branches, jump over rocks and logs, and dodge roots sticking out from the ground. They’re maintaining a decent pace, but the man had a head start on them so he’s about thirty yards ahead of them.

 

It looks like he might get away, so Kara pushes herself. She can hear her heart thumping in her chest, the beating sounding like drums in her ears.

 

“NCPD!” Kara shouts as a final attempt. “Stop!”

 

Just as it looks like the figure is about to get away, he trips over one of the roots that are growing out of the ground.

 

Kara and Lena run up to the man and Lena kneels over him, as Kara doubles over and rests her hands on her knees as she catches her breath.

 

“What were you doing in the cabin?” Lena asks in a no-nonsense tone.

 

“A friend asked me to look after it while they were away,” the man grumbles out and it’s obvious that he’s lying.

 

“That friend Maxwell Lord by any chance?” Lena’s question goes unanswered by the man. “What’s your name?”

 

“Otis.”

 

“You got a last name, Otis?” Lena asks in the same stern tone of voice.

 

Silence, again.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it mean if I tell you that I've written part of the ending for this story? Because I have, and I'm flippin' excited. I do apologize though because it'll be a while before that big ending comes out. Sorry 'bout that but I just really had to tell someone.
> 
> Anyway, thanks so much for reading to the end. Feel free to leave any constructive criticism, ideas/theories or just general feedback.
> 
>  
> 
> :)


	8. What Are My Eyes Looking at Now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the lovely comments and kudos, I really love it. Again, this chapter will have inaccuracies. I do conduct a fair bit of research so my story is as accurate as possible, but sometimes the real world is boring or just too slow, so I took creative liberty and just wrote what I felt the story needed. Anyway, enough from me, just ignore my mistakes - I've read through it and re-written it so I think I got everything, but I'm not perfect - and enjoy the story.
> 
>  
> 
> Happy reading :)

 

* * *

 

Kara and Lena stand side-by-side in the viewing room, watching Otis through the one-way mirror. He seems unusually calm and relaxed for the situation he’s in. He’s sitting in a sterile, intimidating interrogation room and yet he’s reclined in his chair, staring blankly at his hands that rest on the steel tabletop.

 

Lena looks down at the open file in her hands and skims through it for the fifth time in ten minutes. They’d managed to get a last name for Otis after running the number plate on his motorcycle they found near the driveway of the property. Lena can’t help but let her eyes come back to his name: Otis Graves. It sounds familiar to her, as though she’s heard the name and knows someone who shares it, but she can’t pick who. She looks away from the file and back at Otis and sees that he’s adjusted himself. He looks almost bored now, as though being brought in for questioning is nothing but an inconvenience to him.

 

“How do you wanna do this?” Kara asks, breaking Lena from her thoughts.

 

Lena stares at Otis and studies him for a brief moment before she answers. “I say we be blunt with him.” She faces Kara. “Tell him the facts and what we can get him on, and then see if he says anything that incriminates him.”

 

Kara nods. “Lead the way.”

 

The pair silently walk into the interrogation room, the clicking of their shoes bouncing off the linoleum floor and cinderblock walls.

 

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Otis calmly proclaims.

 

Kara and Lena ignore Otis’s words, instead sitting down across from him and arranging their files and notepads.

 

“Mr Graves,” Kara begins, grabbing a pen and hovering over the notepad in front of her, “We found you inside the private home on an individual. What were you doing?”

 

“Told you. A friend asked me to check up on it.”

 

“You ran from us though,” Kara points out.

 

“Thought you were burglars or somethin’.” He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

 

“We announced ourselves and you continued running.”

 

“People lie.”

 

Kara hums, not believing anything Otis is saying but writing it down regardless. “And who’s this friend that asked you check their house?” she asks, looking at him expectantly.

 

“Maxwell Lord,” he answers, a smirk on his face as though he thinks he’s two steps ahead of the detectives.

 

“Are you aware that he was found murdered last night?”

 

“Nope,” he says, popping the ‘p’. There’s no evidence of distress or sadness in his voice, which strikes both Kara and Lena as unusual.

 

They share a quick glance before Kara speaks again. “You don’t sound very upset or surprised.”

 

“Stuff happens.” He shrugs. “Maxy made plenty of enemies in his time, was only a matter of time before one of them offed him.”

 

“And who are these enemies?”

 

“You’re a cop, I’m sure you can figure it out,” he answers with an air of condescension to his words.

 

Lena wants to roll her eyes, the obviously fake tough-guy persona wearing very thin on her. “Mr Graves, where were you at five o’clock on Thursday Morning?”

 

“Probably asleep,” he answers sarcastically, as though there isn’t anything else he would be doing at that hour.

 

“Is there anyone who can verify this?”

 

“Nope.” He pops the ‘p’ again, the boredom returning to his voice.

 

“And what about last night between six-thirty and seven o’clock. Where were you then?”

 

“At a bar, hustling people at pool.” He smirks smugly.

 

“What’s the name of the bar?”

 

“Rover’s Inn.”

 

“Do you know this woman?” Lena asks as she slides a photo of Naomi Baker across the table.

 

Otis holds eye contact with Lena for an uncomfortable amount of time before he eventually looks down at the photo in front of him. He leans forward and studies the photo carefully, and Lena and Kara think they might actually get something.

 

“Can’t say that I do,” he quickly says as he pushes the photo back across the table. He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest and smirking smugly at the two detectives.

 

“How ‘bout the name Violet Lucas, does that sound familiar?” Lena asks as she slides Naomi Baker’s photo back into her file.

 

“Nope.” He shakes his head. “What’s with all these questions anyway? What’d you two think I did?” he laughs. “I mean, you two clearly have no evidence so it’s not like you could prove I did anything anyway.”

 

A beat of silence passes as Otis looks between Kara and Lena for some kind of answer, a look of amusement plastered on his face.

 

“Listen, I’ve got things to do, are you two gonna charge me with something or am I free to go?”

 

“You’re free to go,” Lena says, even though she’s reluctant to say it. She would much rather charge him with trespassing and breaking and entering, but with Maxwell dead, there’s no way to confirm or discredit his story.

 

“Good luck with your case.” He pushes his chair back and stands, smiling smugly down at the two detectives. “Hope you catch whoever did it.” He gives them a little wave over his shoulder before he walks with an air of confidence, out of the interrogation room and over to the elevator.

 

Kara and Lena watch from their seats, a little shocked but mostly irritated at Otis’s confidence.

 

“I don’t like him,” Lena says, turning to face Kara.

 

“Neither do I.” Kara meets Lena’s gaze. “But we don’t have anything on him, so it’s not like we can charge him with anything.”

 

“You’re right.” Lena thinks for a moment and blankly stares at the wall behind Kara. “Come on.” She quickly stands, grabbing her files and walking out of the room.

 

“Where are we going?” Kara quickly stands to follow Lena, already getting accustomed to her sudden ideas and subsequently walking off.

 

“Maxwell hid something incriminating at that cabin, and if I were a betting woman, I’d say that Otis is going to be back there by the end of the day.” She spins around to face Kara when they’re standing at their desks, causing Kara to suddenly stop and stumble back a little. “If we’re ever going to solve this case, we need to find whatever Maxwell hid.”

 

“Alright.” Kara grabs her coat and her and Lena promptly walk over to the elevator. “Also,” Kara faces Lena while they’re waiting for the elevator to arrive, “I called Naomi’s workplace to see if we could speak with her co-workers. The man I spoke with said tomorrow would be best because some teachers work part-time and Tuesday’s the only day that everyone from her department are in.”

 

“Good idea.” Lena and Kara board the elevator when it dings, and the doors slide open. “I’m sure one of them must’ve been aware of her secret life.”

 

* * *

 

They’re back out at the cabin within an hour, the morning traffic making their commute take longer than it previously did.

 

It takes a while, but her and Kara sift through the living room, hallway, bedroom, and kitchen, leaving only the bathroom for the duo to search through. The size of the bathroom surprises her when she first walks inside. The bathroom’s more spacious than she thought necessary for the size of the cabin, but it’s by no means designed for two people to simultaneously stand in; a fact she learned when her and Kara began searching through the grimy room together.

 

Having found nothing, Lena stands up stretches her arms and rolls her shoulders. “Have you found anything?” she asks, looking down at Kara who’s squatting and running her hands around the stand-alone pedestal sink.

 

“No.” Kara looks over her shoulder and up at Lena, and Lena thinks this may be the first time she’s seen her look actually tired, even though it’s only eleven o’clock. “Maybe he didn’t hide anything out here,” Kara suggests as she stands and faces Lena.

 

 _Maybe she’s right_ , Lena thinks, _maybe he didn’t hide anything out here_. Lena rolls her shoulders again and throws her head back, closing her eyes so she can clear her head and think. She’s tired from having searched through the house for the past two hours and she was so sure that they would find something.

 

When she opens her eyes again, she sees something she hadn’t before. Her eyes fall to the bowl light that’s illuminating the small room in a warm, yellow-ish hue. There’s a shadow, and its shape is unusual, but Lena feels like she knows that shape

 

She cocks her head and focuses on the shape.

 

“What’s up?” Kara asks when she sees a look of focus fall over Lena’s features.

 

“Look at the light,” Lena says, her eyes remaining fixed on the light above them.

 

“What’s that?” Kara asks as she looks up at the light, her eyes falling on the unusual shadow.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Kara reaches up and carefully removes the bowl from its fixtures. They look down at the unusually shaped object. It resembles keys commonly used in old wind-up toys, but it’s smaller and looks like it has a different purpose.

 

It’s then that Lena recalls something Lex had taught her before his descent into the criminal underworld.

 

* * *

 

LUTHOR MANSION, 16 YEARS AGO.

 

It’s late afternoon and Lena’s home from boarding school for the summer. She’s sitting cross-legged on her bed as she flicks through the photo album from before she came to live with the Luthors. It’s been seven years since she was first bought to the Luthor estate in Metropolis. She has weak memories of her time in Ireland with her birth mother, but the small photo album that currently sits in her lap reminds her of better times.

 

She’s so lost in looking at the photos, that she doesn’t hear the knock to her bedroom door. Her heart sinks when she hears the knob turning. The only person home is Lillian, and she knows that if Lillian sees the photo album, she’ll take it from her.

 

The door opens and she quickly pushes the album under her pillow.

 

“Hey,” a voice says from the door frame.

 

The familiar voice calms Lena’s racing heart, and she smiles when she looks up and sees Lex standing in the door frame.

 

“I didn’t know you were home.”

 

After turning sixteen, Lex had begun to spend less time at home throughout the summer. Lena knew it was all part of growing up – wanting to hang out with friends instead of family – but she didn’t like that she’d be at home with only Lillian in the house.

 

“Clark caught a cold,” Lex explains as he walks into Lena’s room and sits beside her on her bed, “so he had to bail on the movie.”

 

"I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay, these things happen. What were you doing?”

 

Lena thinks of lying, thinks of making something up, but she trusts Lex and knows he won’t tell. She leans back and pulls the photo album out from underneath her pillow.

 

“Is this from before you came to live with us?” he asks as he peers down at the maroon photo album.

 

Lena nods.

 

“Why was it under your pillow?”

 

"I thought you were Lillian.”

 

“Do you want me to show you something?” Lex asks after a beat of silence passes between the two.

 

Lena, curious as to what her older brother wants to show her, nods.

 

“I’ll be right back,” he says as he ducks across the hall and into his own bedroom. He returns ten seconds later with a brass key-like object in his hand.

 

"What’s that?” Lena asks, looking at the object in Lex’s hand.

 

“It’s a key,” he says as he walks over to the air event in Lena’s room, “and it opens these vents.” He uses the key to unscrew the four screws holding the vent in place and turns back to face Lena. “You can hide things in the vent, so Mom won’t find them."

 

"Really?” Lena asks, looking up at the rectangular hole in her wall.

 

"Yeah,” Lex confirms with a kind smile as he hands Lena the small brass key.

 

Lena flips the key in her hands a few times as she looks down at it. “Thank you, Lex.” She looks up at her brother and smiles at him.

 

* * *

 

"It’s a key,” Lena says as she picks up the brass key and flips it over in her gloved hand.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah.” Lena looks up at Kara. “It’s used on screws that hold air vents in place.”

 

“Why would Maxwell hide it though?”

 

“There are some variations between the screws used for each air vent, and a normal screwdriver typically can’t be used because it won’t fit. So, Maxwell probably hid something in an air vent and didn’t want just anyone to be able to open it up,” Lena explains.

 

“Do people really hide things in air vents?”

 

“Yeah. My brother taught me about it when I was eleven-years-old and plenty of girls at my boarding school would hide liquor and cigarettes in their vents so the dorm master wouldn’t be able to find it.”

 

Lena sees a kind of curiosity in Kara's eyes when she says this. At first, she's worried that Kara will ask about her brother or something like that, but she finds that she would be okay with telling Kara about her brother, even though she hasn't spoken to him since she was eighteen. She is glad when Kara doesn't question it though. As much as she would like to talk to Kara about this stuff, doing it in the bathroom of a potential crime scene is certainly no place for that conversation.

 

It takes fifteen minutes to go through all the air vents in the cabin, but eventually, Lena and Kara are unscrewing the last vent in the living room.

 

“There’s something in here,” Kara says as she blindly reaches her hand into the vent. She pulls out a manila folder and hands it to Lena before she jumps down from the chair.

 

Lena quickly takes the folder and starts reading through the documents that are in it.

 

"What’s inside?” Kara asks.

 

“They look like bank transaction records,” Lena says as she continues to read through the several pages, “and for very large amounts.”

 

“How much?”

 

“A lot of them are within the range of ten to twenty thousand dollars, but a few from the past twelve months are for fifty and sixty thousand dollars.”

 

“Does it say who the payee or payer is?”

 

“It looks like the money is coming from a faceless shell corporation, and the money is going to a Swiss Bank account. So,” Lena looks up at Kara, “I’d say that these transfers are for illegal purposes.”

 

“Is there anything else?”

 

Lena flicks through all the pages, her eyes falling to an old photograph. “Yeah,” she holds the photo up so Kara can see it, “a photo of three boys.”

 

Kara takes the photo from Lena’s hands and lets her eyes roam over it. It’s old, that much made obvious by the quality of the photo – likely taken some time during the early or mid-seventies. There are three boys in the photo, probably around the age of ten-years-old of Kara were to guess. Their smiles cover their faces and their eyes are bright with a type of child-like innocence.

 

“I wonder who they are,” Kara thinks aloud as she looks up at Lena.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I've actually mapped out the next three chapters, and I'm flippin' keen to write them and share them with you champs. Thanks for reading to the end, I really appreciate it. I'm gonna be pretty busy this week, so I'm goaling to have another chapter written and edited by the end of the week, but we'll see how that goes. As always, feedback and constructive criticism is always welcomed and certainly appreciated.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks again for reading :)


	9. Her Eyes Hold the Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I just want to say a big thanks for all the nice comments. I seriously appreciate it. Also, this is a short chapter, which I am sorry about, but I couldn't combine the next chapter into this one. However, I'm sure you lot will like the next one. As per usual, just ignore my mistakes, and enjoy.
> 
>  
> 
> Happy reading :)

 

* * *

 

It’s eight o’clock in the morning when Kara disembarks from the elevator and walks across the bullpen towards her desk. There’s a bounce in her step and a smile on her face and a manila file in her hand.

 

“Coroner’s report,” Kara says as she drops it in front of Lena who was previously occupied with something on her computer.

 

“What’s got you so happy?” Lena asks in amusement before she flips through Dr Grant’s findings.

 

“Look on page two.” Kara hangs her coat over her chair and sits down, looking over her desk at Lena with an expectant smile on her face.

 

“Dr. Grant found skin under Maxwell’s fingernails. Testing indicates that it doesn’t belong to Maxwell and that it instead, belongs to an unidentified woman,” Lena reads aloud. “It’s more than likely that the skin under Maxwell’s fingernails is the result of defending himself from the attacker.”

 

“You know what this means.”

 

“Yeah, that the attacker was a woman and that your theory about Maxwell having a ‘friend’ in his office the night he died has evidence to support it.”

 

Kara nods. “I've put a request in with John Anderson, the head of security over at Lord Tech, to get security footage from the time Maxwell was murdered. He said they’re pretty busy today, but that we should have the footage tomorrow morning.”

 

“So, we have a lead?” Lena asks, not wanting to jinx it but getting excited at the possibility that they finally have a lead in their case.

 

“We have a lead,” Kara confirms.

 

“Excellent, in the meantime then, we need to head over to National City High School so we can talk to Naomi’s colleagues.”

 

* * *

 

As Lena sits in the passenger seat of Kara’s car, she stares absently out the window, watching the chaotic city around her. Young children run and squeal in the nearby park, business type people walk with confidence down the street as they speak into their phones, and car horns sound throughout the city as commuters try and move the traffic along.

 

It's all so busy outside, and yet, there’s a calm in Kara’s car. It feels as though there’s some kind of barrier that’s stopping the chaos from breaking in. Lena glances over at Kara and watches as she takes a bit of her bear claw, leaving behind a small amount of frosting at the corner of her mouth.

 

 _She’s cute_ , Lena unconsciously thinks as she watches with a smile. _Cute_ , Lena internally panics for a moment when she realizes what she’d thought. _She’s my partner, I can’t think things like that._

 

Kara glances over at Lena and gives her a goofy smile, causing Lena to relax and forget about her previous panic.

 

She sinks back into the worn fabric seat as Kara begins to move the car forward. Lena lets the comfort and safe feeling of the bubble wash over her, ignoring why she feels this way and just enjoying it. It’s almost nine o’clock but Lena’s eyes drift close to the low mumble of the radio and soft Kara’s soft humming, her lack of sleep over the past week catching up with her.

 

Before long, Kara feels the car come to a stop and can hear Kara shut the engine off the jingling of her keys as she slides them into her pocket.

 

“Hey, Lena,” Kara rests her hand on Lena’s forearm to gently wake her up.

 

Lena opens her eyes and can feel a warm hand gently resting on her arm. She sees a soft smile and kind blue eyes.

 

“Hey, sorry, you fell asleep, like, ten minutes ago but we’re here now.”

 

“Shot, sorry.” Lena sits up and Kara’s hand falls from her arm, and it strikes Lena as unusual that she misses the warmth that was on her arm.

 

They’re quick to walk towards the red brick building with the words ‘National City High School’ centred above the glass doors. The duo walks through the corridors of red lockers and white linoleum floor. They find administration with relative ease and are quickly shown into the principal’s office once they flash their badges.

 

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” a middle-aged woman says as she sits down in a chair behind a large desk. She gestures to the two chairs opposite the desk and Kara and Lena sit down.

 

“It’s not a problem,” Lena says.

 

“I assume you’re here about Naomi?” Principal Morris questions.

 

“We are. We’re wondering if we can ask you a few questions, as well as the staff in her department,” Lena says.

 

“Of course, Naomi was such a wonderful person and had a natural gift at teaching, so if there’s anything we can do to help, please ask.”

 

Kara and Lena offer a solemn smile before they launch into their questions.

 

“Okay, when was the last time you saw Naomi?” Lena asks as she pulls out a small notepad and pen.

 

“Wednesday morning. She was collecting some forms from her pigeon hole before classes started.”

 

“Did you speak with her?” Lena asks.

 

“No, I had a meeting with the District Superintendent, so I was in a bit of a rush.”

 

“Did Naomi seem off at all about two or three months ago?”

 

“Not that I ever saw. If something was going on, she never let it affect her work.”

 

Kara and Lena exchange a quick look, silently agreeing that they weren’t going to get anything useful from the Principal.

 

“Is it possible for us to speak with the staff part of her department?” Kara questions.

 

“Of course. We don’t run any history classes in the morning so all the teachers should either be in the staffroom or their classrooms. Just ask Ryan out front and he’ll point you in the right direction.”

 

“Thank you,” Kara says as her and Lena stand to leave.

 

* * *

 

]They’re shown to a room with a kitchenette in the corner, a few tables, and chairs in the middle, and a worn, black leather couch along the back wall. There are several people in the room already, presumably teachers.

 

“Are you all part of the history department?” Kara asks.

 

They receive a few nods from the teachers sitting around the room, drinking coffee and reading through papers.

 

“I’m Detective Danvers,” Kara shows her badge, “and this is my partner Detective Luthor. We’re here about Namoi Baker’s murder.”

 

The facial expressions of the teacher’s in the room don’t change, so it’s obvious they already know about it.

 

Kara and Lena ask a series of routine questions and receive standard answers. They don’t learn anything from the room full of teachers. However, as Kara’s talking to the teachers, Lena notices in the back, that there’s a woman who looks noticeably more distressed than everyone else. Lena watches as she tenses up when Kara asks about Naomi’s change in behaviour a few months ago.

 

They’re shown to Naomi’s old classroom by a teacher and begin searching through it, again, learning nothing and finding nothing in the classroom.

 

“Did you see the woman who was sitting on the couch?” Lena asks as her and Kara do one final search through the room.

 

“Yeah, I feel like she knows something, but I don’t think she’ll tell us anything in front of other people.”

 

Lena hums her agreement as she shuffles through Naomi’s desk drawers.

 

A sudden knocking to the open-door frame draws Kara and Lena's attention away from their search and up towards a short brunette woman with frizzy hair.

 

“Hi, can we help you?” Kara asks.

 

“I didn’t want to say it in front of the others, but I know something about Naomi you should know.”

 

Kara and Lena are quick to grab three chairs and sit down so the woman can tell them what she knows.

 

“What’s your name?” Kara asks, her pen hovering over her small notepad.

 

“Allison Manson.”

 

“Were you and Naomi close?”

 

“Very. We started her at the same time and we just became really fast friends.”

 

“We’re very sorry for your loss,” Kara says. “When was the last time you saw or spoke to her?"

 

"Wednesday afternoon, just as we were walking out to our cars."

 

"Not Wednesday night? Naomi's husband told us about the group marking thing her and the other teachers in the department would do."

 

"We don't do that on Wednesday nights, but I know where she went."

 

Kara and Lena sit up straighter and lean forward, both eager to learn about what happened to Naomi the night she died.

 

"Why don't you start from the beginning," Kara says.

 

“About three months ago, I noticed that Naomi seemed uninterested in everything,” Allison begins carefully. “I asked her about it, and she said that she was just bored with everything. She’d been teaching for twelve years and she got bored.”

 

“Did she tell you why she got bored?” Kara asks.

 

Allison’s hesitant to answer, but it’s clear to both Kara and Lena that she knows why Naomi got bored.

 

“We know this is difficult, but if we’re going to figure out what happened, we need to know everything.”

 

Allison nods and expels a breath before she speaks again. “I didn’t want to say it in front of the others, but Naomi was very wild throughout her first two years of college. She told me that she’d go out every night, always parting and drinking.”

 

Kara and Lena exchange a quick glance when Allison pauses.

 

“I mean, there’s nothing unusual about being the parting type, but Naomi said that everything changed when she met Thomas. Naomi changed her entire life. She stopped going out and drinking, dumped all the guys she’d been seeing, and started studying and properly working towards her teaching degree.”

 

“So, after twelve years she missed her old life?” Kara asks, wanting to be very clear on the details.

 

“Yeah. She told me one afternoon after school that she just couldn’t keep doing what she was doing. She missed the excitement and thrill of her old life.”

 

“Thomas mentioned this to us,” Lena says, “he said that she seemed off but that it passed after a little bit. Do you know why she suddenly became okay with everything again?”

 

“Naomi met this woman who promised her an exciting life. She’d take Naomi to all these high-end clubs and extravagant parties.”

 

“Do you know about Violet Lucas?” Lena asks after exchanging another glance with Kara.

 

“Yeah, that was all part of it. This woman is extremely powerful and had friends in very high places, so she made a whole new identity for Naomi to use whenever they went out, and, it's strange, but Naomi seemed to enjoy being someone else. She started actually living as Violet.”

 

“Did Naomi ever tell you about the apartment she had under Violet’s name?”

 

“Yeah. It was about a month into all this and Naomi said that this woman started taking her to a very secret club every Wednesday. She described it as a place where the rich and powerful could unwind and ‘have some fun’ without the fear of the public finding out. Naomi met a guy there, she never told me what his name was, only that he was married and had _a lot_ to lose if their affair ever got out. So, he paid for a nice apartment, nice clothes and anything she wanted basically.”

 

“Do you know where this club is or what it’s called?” Kara asks, getting very antsy at this new information.

 

“It’s in the financial district and the entrance is in this dead-end alley. I’ve obviously never been myself. But Naomi said that there’s this old and very faded red door down a small set of stairs.”

 

“Who’s this woman that got Naomi into this new life?”

 

“Veronica Sinclair.”

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo, the story's gettin' more mysterious! Anyway, thanks for reading, I really appreciate it. I've mapped out like six chapters now, so I just have to write them (easier said than done though). I'll try and have the next chapter up soon. As always constructive criticism is more than welcomed and certainly appreciated.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks again for reading :)


	10. I've Got My Eye on You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again. Thank you all for your wonderful comments; it makes me smile to read them. As per usual, feel free to ignore my mistakes or point them out to me so I can fix 'em up. Anyway, enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> Happy reading :)

 

* * *

 

“Veronica Sinclair.”

 

The name plays itself on repeat on Lena’s head. She knows her, went to school with her, hell, they were dormmates for their final two years of boarding school.

 

Lena zones out for the rest of the interview, to wrapped up in the thought that someone she knew is involved in this seemingly never-ending case. She doesn’t notice Allison thanking them and leaving the classroom that once belonged to her friend, nor does she hear Kara begin to think aloud.

 

“Hey, Lena.” Kara rests a gentle hand on Lena’s upper arm in an attempt to coax from her thoughts.

 

That same sense of comfort and safety returns to Lena at the contact. She can feel Kara’s warm hand resting on her arm and she finds herself hoping that her hand can stay there forever.

 

“You okay?” Kara asks when she sees Lena return to reality. “You kinda zoned out for a minute.”

 

“Sorry.” Lena shakes herself off. “I was just thinking about what Allison said.”

 

Kara quickly picks up on the fact that Lena’s holding back on something, but she doesn’t push her for more information. She wants Lena to open up to her because she chose to, not because she felt forced to.

 

“Why would Naomi go to the effort of getting a whole other identity instead of just leaving her husband?” Lena asks.

 

“If I were to guess, I’d say she didn’t want to lose her kids. Even though she missed her old life, I imagine that she loved her kids a great deal and didn’t want to risk losing them. She probably thought that a secret identity would be easier and better for her kids.”

 

“Well, her secret identity is probably what got her killed.”

 

“You’re probably right; I can’t see anyone from Naomi’s life wanting her dead.” A beat of silence passes in the classroom that once belonged to Naomi before Kara speaks again. “At least now we know what she was doing in the financial district on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.”

 

"She would’ve been at that club, which means that this mystery guy she met might’ve also been there.”

 

“Maybe,” Kara says, the new information about their case clearly and the promise of an actual lead, making her excited.

 

In the silence that falls among the classroom, Lena realizes that Kara’s hand is now resting on her forearm, still filling her with that same sense of comfort and safety. She glances down at Kara’s hand, causing Kara to do the same.

 

“Sorry,” Kara mutters as she pulls her hand away. “So,” Kara begins with a new found confidence, “if Veronica would take Violet/Naomi to this club every Wednesday and she met this mystery guy at that club, there’s a good chance he’ll be there tomorrow night. I’ll ask around with a few other detectives and officers who work that scene and see if they know where it is.”

 

Lena nods and hums her agreement, still too focused that she knows Veronica, and the comfort that Kara’s hand simply resting on her arm filled her with.

 

* * *

 

As the sun begins its ascent over the city, Lena lays awake in her bed, staring blankly up at her ceiling. She can see the sunlight filtering in through her window out of her peripheral vision, but she’s too preoccupied with her thoughts to pay it any mind.

 

She rolls onto her side, facing away from the sunlight and the hallway that leads to her kitchen, living room, and bathroom.

 

Lena’s been awake for most of the night, tossing and turning, unable to get more than a few hours of sleep at any time. She isn’t sure why she didn’t tell Kara that she went to school with Veronica. After all, it’s not like she did anything wrong. If anything, she probably has an insight into the type of person Veronica is today based on the type of person she was growing up.

 

But she didn’t tell Kara, and she knows she should’ve.

 

She sighs and rolls onto her back again, staring up at the ceiling for a brief second before throwing her duvet off and trudging towards the kitchen to make her first cup of coffee for the day.

 

Lena’s not one to procrastinate; she tackles everything head-on. What was it that Thomas Jefferson said; “Never do tomorrow what can be done today”? But she procrastinates going into work today because she doesn’t want to tell anyone that she knows Veronica, and she isn’t even sure why. It’s not like her and Veronica were ever actually friends; stubborn roommates at best.

 

The ding of the elevator draws Lena’s eyes up from the floor of the elevator, and she watches as the doors slide open revealing the bullpen lit mostly by the sun seeping in through the windows. Lena’s walking through the bullpen ten minutes later than she usually would and it strikes her as odd that Kara isn’t sitting at her desk yet. Kara normally arrives ten minutes after Lena does, so she isn’t sure why Kara isn’t here yet.

 

She sets her bag down on her desk and looks around the bullpen and neighboring offices, in case Kara’s just somewhere else, but she isn’t.

 

“You looking for Kara?” a voice asks from behind her.

 

Lena turns around and smiles when she sees a familiar face. “Hey, Maggie. And yeah, do you know where she is?”

 

“Her and Alex like to do some sisterly sparing on Wednesday mornings. I think they’re finishing up now but I’m sure she’s still down there.”

 

“Thanks.” Lena shoots her friend another smile before walking off towards the precinct’s gym.

 

As she’s walking towards the door for the gym, Lena walks past a window that looks into the gym. She can see the familiar beige color on the wall, padded floor, and basic gym equipment. But it’s the blonde woman repeatedly hitting and kicking a punching bag that catches her attention.

 

Lena quickly realizes that it’s Kara who’s hitting the punching bag, but she can’t seem to pull her eyes away from her partner. The tank top and tight yoga pants she’s wearing allowing Lena to get a very clear picture of what she hides under her regular work clothes.

 

Lena’s so caught up in her trance-like state that she doesn’t notice when Kara stops her assault on the punching bag and turns to face Lena. Kara offers a smile and wave when she sees Lena standing at the window, and it’s then that Lena snaps out of her thoughts, realizing that she’s been caught staring.

 

Kara jogs over, her ponytail bouncing as she does so, and slides the window open to lean against the window sill.

 

“Hey, what’re you doing down here?” Kara asks a smile on her face.

 

“I need to talk to you about something.”

 

“Okay. I actually got some good news about the case that I need to tell you. Just let me wash up and I’ll be upstairs in ten minutes.”

 

* * *

 

“So, John Anderson sent over the security footage from Lord Tech yesterday after you left. I had Winn go through it in case I missed anything but,” Kara pulls a manila folder out from her desk and hands it over to Lena.

 

Lena flips through the still images captured from the recording as Kara continues to explain.

 

“Maxwell and a mystery woman enter the building and ride his private elevator up to his office at six-thirty-three. We can’t get a clear shot of the mystery woman on her way up, but when she comes back down ten minutes later, she’s alone and the cameras are able to get a shot of her.”

 

Lena flips to the last photo in the file, her eyes fall to a middle-aged woman with long-ish dark hair. Even with the poor quality of the image and slightly obstructed view of the woman’s face, something about her strikes Lena as familiar. As though she’s seen her somewhere or spoken to her before.

 

“Are we able to get an ID on the woman?” Lena asks.

 

“Winn’s running that now, but he said it might take a while because of the poor quality of the image. Also, I have news about this secret club that Allison told us about. I spoke to a few officers and a friend who works over in organized crime. It’s in an alley between fifteen-twenty and fifteen-twenty-two, and apparently, it’s been a suspected hang out for not only the city’s elite but also a hide-out of sorts for the city’s criminals.”

 

“Okay, so what’s our next move? It’s not like we just barge in and demand to speak to everyone; we’re cops so no one’s gonna tell us anything.”

 

“My thoughts exactly, which is why I suggest that we do a good ol’ fashioned stakeout.”

 

“A stakeout?”

 

“Uh-huh.” Kara nods. “I reckon it’s our best option. We won’t be able to get in as cops, and even if we do, no one’s gonna say anything to us. And even if we go undercover, it’s suspected that some very high up criminals hang out there, so they’ll see right through us anyway.”

 

“A stakeout it is then,” Lena says, already forgetting about wanting to tell Kara about Veronica.

 

* * *

 

It’s been just over two hours since their stakeout began. They’re sitting in Kara’s unmarked police car across the street from the alleyway that houses the elusive club. The alley only has one point of entry, so Kara and Lena know they’ll see anyone leaving or going.

 

Lena glances to the small digital clock on the dashboard and sees that it’s only been four minutes since she last looked at the time.

 

Lena and Kara have been talking throughout the two hours, but Lena still finds herself glancing at the clock, becoming more irritated that they haven’t seen any sort of suspicious activity.

 

The street around them is empty, and if it weren’t for the fact that they had evidence to support a secret club being in that alleyway, Lena would be fairly certain that she’s spent two hours staring at an empty alleyway.

 

“What’d you want to tell me this morning?” Kara asks, breaking the brief, but comfortable silence that had formed in the car.

 

“Hmm?” Lena draws her attention away from the alleyway and looks over at Kara. Even in the dark car, Lena can still see her bright blue eyes.

 

“This morning, you wanted to tell me something before we got caught up with the case.”

 

Lena draws a breath from responding. “I know – or knew – Veronica Sinclair.”

 

Silence, and then:

 

“How?” Kara asks.

 

“We went to boarding school together.”

 

"So, were you two friends?”

 

"No,” Lena quickly answers, turning in her seat to face Kara. “I’d describe our relationship as stubborn roommates, at best.”

 

“How come you didn’t tell me yesterday?” Kara asks. There isn’t a sliver of annoyance or anger in Kara’s voice, just honest curiosity.

 

“I’ve mentioned that my family was close with Maxwell and his family, and we know he was involved in some suspicious things. I guess, I just didn’t want you to think I was like my family and that I associate myself with bad people.”

 

“Thank you for telling me.” Another beat of silence. “And I don’t think you’re like your family.”

 

“So, you’ve seen the news reports then.” Lena’s tone sounds bitter and shifts in her seat so she’s facing away from Kara and instead she looks out the windscreen, focusing on the seemingly insignificant alleyway across the street.

 

Kara, picking up on Lena’s tone, quickly reaches her hand out to rest on Lena’s, completely unaware of the comfort and safety it somehow fills Lena with.

 

“That’s not how I know, I mean I’ve seen snippets of the story on TV, but I never paid it any mind.”

 

 Lena looks back over at Kara, a curious expression on her face.

 

“Why?” Lena asks.

 

“Because I know what it feels like when your family does something – good or bad – and everyone expects you to do the exact same thing. I mean, the circumstances are different, but I know what it feels like.”

 

“What’d your family do?” Lena asks.

 

“They were all really high up either in the justice system or in law enforcement. My parents wanted me to be happy, but they really pushed me toward a career in the justice system. When I said I wanted to be a police officer I think they hoped that I’d be like my cousin and join the FBI or something.”

 

“Are they proud of where you are now?”

 

“I wouldn’t know; they’ve been dead for sixteen years.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lena quickly apologizes.

 

“Don’t be, you didn’t know.”

 

“What happened? You don’t have to tell me,” Lena quickly adds when Kara doesn’t answer right away.

 

“It’s fine.” Kara waves off Lena’s concerns. “They were in a car crash. The report said they lost control and went over a cliff. The investigators think they died when the airbags went off but their bodies were never found so it could never be proven.”

 

 “I’m so sorry.” Lena turns her hand over and squeezes Kara’s.

 

“It’s fine, it was a long time ago.”

 

Silence falls in the car and both detectives turn back to face the alleyway, hoping they see something that will help their case soon. Twenty minutes pass before either of them say something again.

 

“You know how you said everyone expects you to be like your family?” Lena says, eyes still on the alleyway across the street.

 

“Yeah.” Kara glances over at Lena before looking back out the windscreen.

 

“They aren’t actually my family. I mean, I know legally they are, but I don’t consider them to be my family.”

 

Kara turns to face Lena properly this time and she cocks her head in confusion.

 

“My real mother died when I was four and there was no record of who my father was so the Luthors adopted me,” Lena explains as she looks over at Kara. “Even though I love my birth mother, I remember being so excited that I would be getting another family. But look how that turned out,” Lena says in an attempt to lighten the mood.

 

An audible clang draws Lena’s attention away from Kara and across the street to the alley. For most of the night, the street’s been completely silent, so a loud clang – likely from a heavy metal door closing – easily grabs Lena’s attention.

 

She leans forward in her seat and can see Kara do the same from her peripheral vision. It’s dark, but Lena can make out two dark figures walking out of the alley and into the street.

 

The two figures step into the street and are instantly lit by the overhanging street lights. Both Kara and Lena’s eyes go wide when they see who the two figures are.

 

“Is that Commissioner Lane?” Lena asks in shock. She’s almost waiting for Kara to tell her that her eyes are wrong and that the person she’s looking at is just some kind of look-alike.

 

"Yeah,” Kara answers in equal shock, “and Mayor Edge.”

 

“What’s the Commissioner and Mayor doing at this club?” Lena asks, hoping Kara can provide some kind of theory that would make sense.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading to the end; that's super cool of you. So, I'm really excited to share the rest of this story with you. Like seriously, I just smile like some kind of idiot when I think about what I've got planned. Anyway, if you've got questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer them as long as it doesn't spoil the story. And if you have any constructive criticism, feel free to leave a comment. Or not, that's cool too.
> 
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> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	11. Your Eyes Only See What You Are Prepared to Comprehend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a little longer than usual; just had a little trouble getting the words to work in a certain part. Anyway, I got there in the end and I'm fairly happy with this. So, as always, just ignore my mistakes and enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> Happy reading :)

 

* * *

 

The digital clock on the dashboard is showing the passing of time, but it feels as though it's come to a grinding halt. The world outside the car seems to carry on as something shocking didn't occur just moments before, but inside the car - inside the little bubble that offers so much comfort - everything stops, with the exclusion of the dashboard clock. Kara and Lena sit in the car and watch as Commissioner Lane and Mayor Edge walk down the street, their shadows following behind as they move further and further away from the pair of shocked detectives.

 

Kara and Lena are thrown into a shocked silence as they watch the high-powered pair walk away; they don’t say anything, too preoccupied with their racing thoughts. It isn’t until they go around a corner, disappearing from sight, that Kara and Lena snap out of their shock induced silence.

 

“Do you have some kind of theory that would explain why we just saw them come out of that club?” Lena asks. She tears her eyes away from where she last saw the Commissioner and Mayor, now looking to Kara and seeking some kind of explanation.

 

“No.” Kara shakes her head, looking to Lena with the same surprised and shocked expression. “But there’s no way that this is a coincidence.”

 

“Why do you say that?” Lena cocks her head slightly and looks at Kara with a curious look.

 

“Do you remember when Commissioner Lane was at the precinct last week?” Lena nods and so Kara continues. “When he saw a photo of Naomi, he stilled up. Almost as though he was… I dunno, rattled? And he sort of dismissed our theory about her murder being more than some mugging gone wrong.”

 

“So, you think he knows something.”

 

“More than that. I think he’s somehow involved in all this. I mean, he’s the Police _Commissioner_ , why on Earth would he be at some club that is notorious for illegal activity? I find it very unlikely that he’s unaware of its reputation.”

 

“What about the Mayor, do you think he’s involved somehow?”

 

“No idea, but again, why would he be at this club? He’s the Mayor, surely he doesn’t want it getting back to the press that he’s spending his weeknights at some club for criminals and the city’s elite.”

 

“So, what’s our next move then? It’s not like we can just ask them about it. If we even so much as accuse them of something, I doubt this case will remain ours for very long. We need to be careful about how we approach this.”

 

“You’re right.” Kara nods. “Which is why I think we should talk to Veronica Sinclair. She might be able to give us something useful or tell us why Lane and Edge were at the club.”

 

Lena nods her agreement as Kara starts the ignition of the car and pulls away from the curb and out onto the street. She isn’t looking forward to seeing Veronica again but knows that she has to if they’re ever going to figure out what happened to Naomi Baker.

 

* * *

 

As Kara and Lena walk along the winding path towards the front door, Lena isn’t at all surprised by the house that rests before her. There’s a minimalistic garden with small white stones covering the ground and a few low-lying cacti scattered throughout. A charcoal colored, metal pergola runs the length of the path and creates patterns along the ground with the sun’s ever-changing position in the sky.

 

The house itself is a mix between dark toned woods, various tones between grey and black, and windows that would let in impressive amounts of sunlight.

 

“Nice house,” Kara remarks as she gently pushes the doorbell.

 

They patiently stand side-by-side, and it isn’t long until a tall, slim woman with snake tattoos seemingly wrapping around her entire body, is approaching the glass door. Lena instantly recognizes her as Veronica Sinclair.

 

“Lena Luthor,” Veronica says as soon as she opens the door, a smirk on her face, “lovely to see you again.” Her words themselves are kind but her tone is clearly fake. “And who are you?” She looks to Kara now, looking her up and down with a pleased smirk on her face

 

“Miss Sinclair, I’m Detective Danvers.” Kara flashes her badge, choosing to ignore Veronica’s tone. “We’re with the NCPD and we’re wondering if you wouldn’t mind answering a few questions.”

 

Veronica steps aside and gestures for the pair to enter. Kara’s first to step through the threshold, and Lena doesn’t miss the smirk that plays at Veronica’s lips when she looks Kara up and down again. Lena rolls her eyes and steps inside, and Kara and Lena follow Veronica as she leads them through a well-lit corridor and presumably to some kind of sitting room.

 

“Please, take a seat,” Veronica says once she’s sitting on a grey-blue couch, gesturing to an identical couch that’s separated by a glass coffee table. “How can I help you two today?”

 

Kara and Lena exchange a quick glance, silently deciding who’s going to lead their line of questioning.

 

“Do you know a Naomi Baker?” Kara asks, now looking back at Veronica.

 

Veronica smirks and leans back in the couch before she responds. “I do. It’s a shame what happened to her; she was very sweet.”

 

“Do you know Violet Lucas?” Lena asks this time, trying to get their questions over as quickly as possible.

 

“You’re smart,” Veronica smirks. “Yes, I know who Violet Lucas is, but how do you two know?”

 

“Cell phone,” Lena says.

 

“Miss Sinclair,” Kara starts, sensing the annoyance that’s radiating off Lena and wanting to diffuse the situation before it gets worse. “We were told that you created Violet Lucas for Naomi.”

 

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t.”

 

“You do realize this is an ongoing murder investigation?” Kara asks. “So, unless you want us to arrest you for obstruction of justice you need to co-operate.”

 

“What do you want to know?”

 

“Who’s the guy she was seeing?” Kara asks.

 

“Look, Detectives, if I tell you that then my friends won’t want to hang around me for fear that I’ll leak sensitive information about them and their lives.”

 

Kara and Lena exchange another quick glance. Kara can see that Lena’s becoming more irritated with Veronica and Lena can see that Kara’s starting to wear a little thin too.

 

“We know about the club in the financial district,” Kara says, and when Veronica doesn’t say anything, she continues. “We know that there’s illegal activity that goes on there, but we,” she gestures to herself and Lena, “aren’t worried about that right now.”

 

“What’s your question?”

 

“What were Sam Lane and Morgan Edge doing at that club last night?” Kara asks.

 

Veronica smirks. “Well, if I had to guess, I’d say they were enjoying the drinks that the lovely bartenders make – they really are quite talented.”

 

“What about Maxwell Lord,” Lena says.

 

“What about him?”

 

“Are you aware that he was also found murdered on Sunday night?” Lena asks.

 

“I am. It’s a shame, I really did like him.”

 

“Do you have any idea who did it or why someone would want him dead?”

 

“Can’t say that I do.”

 

Kara and Lena exchange another glance and Veronica speaks up again.

 

“Now, why do you two keep looking at each other?” Veronica smiles and there’s a hint of malice in the smile and her tone. “Because it looks like you’re having some kind of silent conversation, which is very impressive that you can do that. Must be a real connection that you two have.”

 

“Thank you for your time, Miss Sinclair,” Kara says as her and Lena stand when it becomes obvious that they aren’t going to get anything from her.

 

“Is that all you two have?” Veronica asks. She looks up at the two detectives from her position on the couch, a look of amusement playing on her face. “You two really don’t know how deep this goes, do you?” She takes their silence as an answer. “You don’t.” She looks between them with the same look of amusement. “Well, no doubt we’ll be in touch soon then.” She stands and starts walking away but stops and turns around to address the detectives again. “Good luck with this case by the way – you’re gonna need all the luck you can get.”

 

Veronica leaves, laughing to herself, and Kara and Lena are left standing in the sitting room, a look of confusion on both of their faces.

 

“What’d you think she means?” Kara asks, looking away from the door frame that Veronica had previously been standing in.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

* * *

 

It’s nearing seven o’clock by the time Kara and Lena are riding the elevator car up to their floor. They spent the rest of their day out and following up on tips they’d received from their tip line. They knew most of them were bogus and wouldn’t provide anything of use, but it’s not as though they had an awful lot to go on either.

 

On their way to their desks, the pair walk by Lucy’s desk where she sits hunched over a file in front of her. They both can’t help but wonder if she knows what her dad was doing at that club. Not that either one of them would suspect Lucy of any wrongdoing, they just wonder if she knows that her father may be connected to their case.

 

The two detectives drop down into their chairs, both exhausted from the day they’ve just had and from thinking about the days that are likely to come.

 

“You two look like hell,” Alex remarks as she stands beside the two desks, eating yogurt from a small container.

 

"You know, you don’t have to keep saying that,” Kara says as she looks up at her sister from her chair.

 

"I’m just saying, it looks like this case is running the both of you into the ground.” She points to them both with her spoon.

 

“We got a promising lead from one of or Vic’s friends but when we followed up on it, it only led to more questions that we can’t answer,” Lena explains, leaning back in her own chair and looking up at Alex.

 

“Sounds to me like you two need a break,” Alex says and Kara and Lena both nod, resigning to the fact that they are both incredibly tired and likely aren’t going to learn anything new tonight. “Hey, Lucy,” Alex calls over to Lucy.

 

“Yeah?” Lucy’s head snaps up from her file at the mention of her name.

 

“You doing anything important right now?”

 

“Not really.”

 

“Good, you wanna come to the bar with us?

 

“Sure.” Lucy smiles and begins packing up her desk and pushing herself up with the assistance of her crutches.

 

“Come on,” she looks back to Kara and Lena, “you two need a break and there’s no better way to unwind than bar games and drinks.”

 

* * *

 

When Lena steps into the bar for the first time, she’s hit with a sense of warmth as she takes everything in. You wouldn’t expect to feel that way upon entering a cop bar, but this one’s different. It’s obvious that it’s old and it has a sort of eclectic and charming feel that Lena can’t help but get momentarily lost in.

 

She notes the countless photos that are scattered around the bar, and Lena can’t help but feel a little proud. It’s obvious that the photos show at least a hundred years of police officers alike, spending time at the bar.

 

She’s pulled from her thoughts by a warm hand gently resting on the middle of her back and guiding her to a booth along the back wall. Lena doesn’t need to look to her left to know that it’s Kara’s hand on her back, the feeling of safety she gets already telling her. She almost finds herself leaning back into the touch – almost – but she doesn’t.

 

Lena slides into the booth, followed by Kara, and then Maggie and Lucy sit opposite them while Alex drags a chair over for herself and another one for Lucy to rest her leg on.

 

“So, what’re we doing?” Kara asks, looking at the four other women sitting around the table.

 

“Drinks would be a good start,” Alex says as a slightly sarcastic response to Kara’s question.

 

“Great, so you’re offering to get them then,” Kara says with a smirk.

 

“No.”

 

“Come on. You’re the one who said Lena and I could use a break, Maggie can’t because you’re kinda blocking her in, and Lucy’s leg is broken.”

 

“Fine,” Alex grumbles as she pushes herself up and weaves through the other bar patrons towards the bar.

 

It isn’t long until they all have a drink in hand and are all laughing at some anecdote Lucy shares with the group. As the night wears on, Lucy eventually calls it a night, saying she has to get an early start tomorrow morning; and after several drinks, Kara and Alex challenge each other to a round of darts as a way of testing who’s better at handling their alcohol. Which leaves Lena and Maggie alone at the table as they watch the sisters try their best to hit the board with their darts.

 

“How’s your first week in National City been?” Maggie asks.

 

"Hm?” Lena looks over at Maggie, seemingly pulled out of some deep thought. “Oh, yeah, it’s great. I’m really liking it.”

 

“Good.” Maggie smiles and nods, taking a sip of her water (She’d switched to water an hour ago so she would be okay to drive herself and Alex home). “How ‘bout you and Kara?”

 

“What about us?” she asks as though she’s been accused of something.

 

“She been a good partner?”

 

“Yeah.” Lena smiles, her previous defensive tone fading. “It’s almost freaky just how well we work together, actually.” She leans across the table as though what she’s about to say needs to be some big kept secret. “Sometimes it feels like we can read each other’s minds.”

 

“Really?” Maggie asks in slight amusement.

 

“Mhmm.” Lena nods, taking another sip of her drink. “In fact, just today, when we were interviewing someone, we looked at each for, like, five seconds, and it felt like we had an entire conversation. We decided who was gonna take lead on the questioning and what we made of the answers, all without speaking.”

 

"Hm.” Maggie smirks and takes another sip of her drink.

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing. Just glad that you’re working well together and that you like her.”

 

Lena eyes her suspiciously over the rim of her own glass.

 

Kara sits on a bar stool as Alex has her turn at throwing the darts at the board. She’s slouched over slightly, beer held with both hands in her lap as she stares blankly at the wall covered in memorabilia. She’s eventually pulled from her thoughts when Alex’s hand appears in her vision with three darts resting in her open palm.

 

“Your turn,” Alex says as she sits down on the bar stool beside Kara.

 

Thanks,” Kara says distractedly as she stands, sets her beer down on her stool, and takes her stance in front of the board. Her mind gets lost in her thoughts again and she misses her target completely, the darts instead landing in the wall around the board.

 

“Damn,” Alex says with a slight drunken slur from the sidelines, “you missed completely.”

 

“I guess I did,” Kara says once she shakes herself from her thoughts again and realizes that she’d thrown her darts straight at the wall.

 

Ordinarily, Alex would pick up on Kara’s unusual behavior and ask her about it. But because she’s had a few too many drinks, she doesn’t pick up on her sister’s different behavior, and Kara’s a bit glad about that fact. She appreciates that her sister cares deeply for her and wants to make sure she’s okay, but Kara’s not sure she wants to talk about why she’s been distracted all night. Not for lack of understanding – she knows what’s happening and has been feeling it for a week now – or because she feels embarrassment or anything alike. She just isn’t sure what she’s feeling should be said out loud.

 

Kara pulls the three darts out of the wall and hands them back to Alex. When her sister is focusing on lining up her shot, Kara glances over her shoulder where Lena and Maggie are sitting in the booth. They’re laughing and smiling at something and Kara doesn’t want to ruin that. If she tells someone about these feelings that seem to grow with each passing minute, she’s sure it’ll make everything awkward and ruin a good thing they have going.

 

 _We work well together_ , Kara thinks, _really well. Don’t go and ruin a good thing by telling her about this little crush. That’s all it is anyway: just a crush that’ll go away._

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading 'till the end. Also, thanks for all the nice comments, really love reading those. Anyway, you know the drill by now: if you have any feedback or constructive criticism, feel free to leave a comment.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks so much for reading :)


	12. What Secrets Do His Eyes Hide?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies that this took a little while to get out. I'm sure you know how words are: always being annoying and refusing to co-operate and make pretty sentences. Anyway, I got there in the end, have no idea when the next chapter will be up, hopefully within the next couple days, we'll see how that goes though. Also, big thanks for all the nice comments, really puts a smile on my face. So yeah, ignore my mistakes and enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> Happy reading :)

 

* * *

 

It’s not going to go away, Kara decides.

 

It’s well after noon and Kara and Lena are at their respective desks, spitballing ideas and theories off one another, in an attempt to prompt some kind of revelation or sensical explanation to everything. They’ve spent the better part of their morning doing this but still coming up empty-handed.

 

Kara sinks back into her chair and watches as Lena shoots off another theory. They’ve spent several hours doing this with no results, so she should be bored by this point or at least a little fed up with the lack of progress they’re making, but she isn’t. Obviously, she wants to crack this case, but Kara’s enjoying the time she gets to spend with Lena, which is just one reason she knows that her crush isn’t going to go away.

 

Kara watches from her chair as Lena paces back and forth, waving her hands around as she shoots of some outlandish theory, that Kara and Lena both know isn’t true. Kara’s eyes follow Lena as she paces back and forth, and an amused smile makes its way across her face as she does so. It’s annoying that they don’t have much to go on in their case, but it’s nice to watch Lena doing something that she’s so clearly passionate about.

 

To her credit, Kara is listening to what Lena’s saying, but she can’t help but let her mind wander to other places. There’s an engrossed sort-of glaze over Lena’s green eyes and Kara can’t help but get a little lost in the beauty of it.

 

_She really is beautiful_ , Kara thinks to herself as a goofy grin unknowingly finds its way across her face. It isn’t until Lena stops talking and looks at her with confusion, that Kara realizes she’s staring.

 

"What?” Lena asks in amusement, noticing Kara’s smile and unusual silence. Normally, when they’re spitballing ideas off each other, though they always listen to their partner, they always add their own thoughts to the theory, building on and adding to the theory to perhaps get some kind of lead or make some progress. So, it strikes Lena as unusual when she stops speaking and Kara is silently staring up at her with a goofy grin that she’s certain she’s only ever seen on Kara.

 

"Hmm?” Kara asks. She’s still smiling up at Lena, but she snaps out of her bubble and is more present now.

 

"You’re smiling,” Lena remarks, a small smile playing at her own lips.

 

“I always smile.” Kara smiles a little wider to make her point.

 

“Yeah,” Lena agrees, a smile of her own on her face, “but it just seems…” she trails off, pausing to figure out what she’s going to say. She studies Kara for a brief second before she shakes her head, ridding herself of any lingering thoughts that the smile could mean more. “I don’t know. Never mind.”

 

Kara’s about to speak again and ask Lena what she was going to say. But, before the question can come out of her mouth she’s cut off by the sound of their Captain’s voice.

 

“Danvers, Luthor,” he says as he stands in the open door frame of his office with his arms across his chest, looking at the two detectives. “My office, now.”

 

Kara and Lena exchange a quick look of confusion before Kara shrugs and stands, leading the way to Henshaw’s office. Their confusion is short lived though, because when they’re sitting in the two chairs opposite the desk, Henshaw launches into a series of questions about the case, curious as to where they’re at and if they have any suspects.

 

They take turns explaining to their Captain what they know. Lena tells him about Naomi’s secret life and Kara tells him about what little they managed to learn from the people they interviewed. They tell Henshaw about their theory that Maxwell’s murder is somehow linked, and he doesn’t once question their theory. Ultimately, though, they don’t have a lot – no real suspects with tangible proof – and Henshaw picks up on that.

 

“Look, I know that you’re both excellent detectives and that you could eventually solve this, but I just got a call ordering me to stop you from investigating any further into this case.”

 

“What?!” Kara and Lena both say in unison. They search his face for some kind of proof that he’s lying, that they haven’t just had their case ripped from underneath them.

 

“You can’t just stop our case,” Lena says, her tone angry and defensive.

 

“It’s wrong and I know it’s not what you want to hear but I have no choice,” he says, “I just got off the phone with the Commissioner and he’s ordered me to stop your investigation.”

 

Lena and Kara still at this. Whatever argument they were about to toss out in an attempt to get their case back is gone. They look to each other, silently asking if what they just heard is true.

 

“The Commissioner?” Kara asks in an attempt to seek clarification.

 

"Yes. He called just before and gave me an entire lecture about how the department’s budget is already stretched thin and that we can’t afford to use valuable resources in a case that is nothing more than a mugging gone wrong.”

 

“A mugging gone wrong?” Lena’s becoming increasingly agitated. “We have evidence to prove Naomi’s murder was more than a simple mugging gone wrong!”

 

It’s then that Kara jumps out of her seat and rests a careful hand to Lena’s upper arm as a way of calming her. “We’ll be sure to stop everything and put everything we have into the evidence locker, sir,” Kara says calmly as she guides herself and Lena out of Henshaw’s office.

 

Once they’re out of Henshaw’s office, having pulled the door closed as they left, Lena’s quick to shake Kara’s hand off her and spin around to face her.

 

“How could you just concede like that?” Lena asks in frustration. “You and I both know this is more than a mugging gone wrong.”

 

“I know but did you hear what he said?”

 

“About us having to stop working this case?” Lena asks with an irritated sarcasm.

 

Kara leads Lena into the empty viewing room for the interrogation room, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves.

 

“After that,” she says when they’re both standing in the dark viewing room. “He said that the _Commissioner_ ordered us to stop.” Kara looks at Lena, expecting her to catch on herself. “What Commissioner does that? I’ve never heard of a Commissioner being so invested in the budget that they would focus on specific cases as the problem. Also, we have reason to believe Maxwell’s murder is connected. Why would he want us to stop this case if it’s linked to the murder of one of the city’s elite?”

 

Realization dawns on Lena, and Kara can see it light up her face.

 

“So, you think he did this because we were getting close to something that he doesn’t want us to see?”

 

Kara nods, a smile on her face. “His one mistake was ordering us off the case. You and I both saw how weird he got when he saw Naomi’s picture. He knows Naomi and I’m almost certain he knows about Violet too. There’s something in this case that ties back to him. If I were to guess, I’d say it’s something big that could ruin him, or else he wouldn’t have ordered us off the case.”

 

Just as Lena’s about to respond, the door flies open and in comes a very out of breath Winn clutching two manila folders with one hand and his chest with the other.

 

“There you two are, I’ve been looking all over for you,” he says while simultaneously catching his breath.

 

“What’s wrong?” Lena asks.

 

“It took a while, but I finally got into those SD cards you two gave me last week. They were severely protected, which is unusual for an SD card and why it took me so long.”

 

“What’d you find?” Kara asks.

 

“Just look,” Winn says as he hands Kara one of the manila folders.

 

Kara’s quick to take the proffered folder and flip through the various photographs, her eyes widening in absolute shock. She instantly recognizes that the photos were taken from outside of Violet Lucas’ bedroom, likely from the fire escape connected to one of the windows, but that’s not the drawing feature of the photo. Rather, the two people in the photo that are clearly engaged in some very private acts.

 

“It’s Naomi and the Mayor,” Kara says. She looks to the other two people in the room, seeing Winn’s looks of absolute shock and Lena’s look of curiosity. She spreads the photos out on the small table so Lena can easily see them. “They were having an affair,” she says while pointing to one photo that leaves no trace amount of doubt as to the identity of the people.

 

Lena’s quick to take one of the photos and carefully study the faces in the image. It’s a high-quality photograph, that much made obvious from the fact that it appears to be night time and yet the figures are still easily discernible.

 

There’s a tense silence that falls in the room as everyone attempts to process the new information. And it isn’t until Winn speaks that the silence breaks.

 

“There’s more,” he says. Kara and Lena’s heads snap away from the photos spread out on the table at the sound of Winn’s voice.

 

“More than this?” Kara asks in an exasperated amusement, finding it a little ridiculous that their case could possibly get more complex.

 

“On the other SD card someone had stored copies of bank records and transactions, which is pretty smart – not a lot of people think to store anything other than photos on SD cards. Anyway,” he offers the folder for one of the detectives to take, “it’s not just transaction records,” he explains as Kara takes the folder and begins to flip through it, “there are documents that prove Morgan Edge owns several different Swiss bank accounts that have been receiving money for the last twenty years or so. All the money has been coming from shell corps and other Swiss bank accounts, so they’re impossible to trace back to one owner.”

 

After his explanation, Winn looks between the two detectives, hoping they can provide some kind of clarity to all this mess, but all he sees is a look of shock that he’s sure is mirrored on his own face.

 

“Does anyone else know about these?” Lena asks, gesturing to the photos and documents.

 

“No, I only just got into the SD cards and printed everything off and ran straight here,” Winn says.

 

“Okay,” Lena nods, “You cannot tell anyone. We’ve just been ordered off this case and I’m willing to bet that this,” she gestures to the photos and documents again, “is the reason why.”

 

"Who ordered you off?” Winn asks.

 

"Lane,” Kara says.

 

“Lucy? I didn’t think she’d be-” Winn starts before he’s cut off.

 

“No, not Lucy,” Lena says, “Sam Lane, the Commissioner.”

 

“Oh, well, I’m not saying you’re wrong, but what makes you think all this is the reason the Commissioner kicked you off?”

 

“Edge and Lane are friends – they’re regular golfing buddies,” Lena says. “We also saw them leaving this elite club together on Wednesday night, and Naomi was regularly at that club on Wednesday nights.”

 

“So, you think the Mayor had Naomi killed because she was going to go public with the affair and now the Commissioner is covering up for his friend?”

 

“Yes and no,” Lena says. “I think this is more than just some affair that turned sour. Naomi had bank documents, and I don’t know why, but I doubt she hid them under her floor boards for laughs.”

 

Kara continues reading through the documents while Lena and Winn talk about the case. And it isn’t until she reaches one transaction from last month that she stops and takes a moment to carefully read it.

 

_Fifteen thousand dollars transferred to someone name Laura_ , Kara reads to herself. She continues to flick through the documents, and it surprises her that the name Laura appears consistently over the last twenty years. _Looks like Edge has been transferring fifteen thousand dollars to Laura every month for the past twenty years_ , Kara thinks as she reads.

 

“Do you know who this Laura person is?” Kara asks, looking away from the documents and to Winn.

 

“No,” he shakes his head, “That’s the thing with Swiss bank accounts, they’re very strict with privacy so I can’t tell you anything that isn’t already there,” he points to the folder in Kara’s hands. “Why?”

 

“It’s nothing really, but it looks like Edge has been transferring fifteen thousand dollars to this person named Laura every month for that last twenty years or so. I’m not even sure if that’s the payee’s real name, that’s just what the payment description says: ‘payment to Laura’.”

 

“Well, as much as I want to ask him, we need to be careful about how we approach this,” Lena says.

 

“You’re right, we can’t just go and accuse him of murder; if we do, he’ll probably have some choice words for the Commissioner who will then figure out that we’re still working this case.”

 

“Okay, then we don’t accuse him of anything, and we don’t mention the secret bank accounts. We’ll need to tell him that we know about the affair or else he’ll shut us down saying we have no business talking to him. But we just won’t accuse him of anything, at least not yet.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Kara says.

 

* * *

 

Kara and Lena make the short drive over to the City Hall. They walk with purpose as they stride up the front steps and through the various corridors that lead to the Mayor’s office and are only stopped by the Mayor’s secretary before they push through the double doors leading to his office.

 

"Can I help you?” she asks as she quickly rounds her desk to put a physical barrier between them and the office.

 

“We need to speak with the Mayor,” Kara says.

 

“He’s on a call right now but you can make an appointment and come back another time.”

 

Lena rolls her eyes and unclips her badge from her belt. “It’s very important that we speak with him now.”

 

The secretary eyes them for a moment, looking between the two. “Fine but make it quick – he has a meeting in fifteen minutes.” She steps aside and gestures for them to proceed.

 

They push through the double doors and their eyes instantly fall to the Mayor who’s leaning back in his chair with his feet up on his desk as he laughs at something said over the phone.

 

They walk up to the desk and Lena opens her mouth to say something, but she’s silenced when Morgan Edge raises a finger as he continues on with his conversation. The action reminds Lena a lot of her mother, Lillian. She quickly learnt not to interrupt her when she was on the phone or doing something, but there were a few instances where she was left with no choice.

 

She has vivid memories of timidly walking into the sitting room where Lillian would be reading some article or novel. She didn’t even have to say anything; Lillian seemed to have some kind of sixth sense and knew when she was about to speak. She would raise her finger to silence whatever Lena was going to say as she would finish her page before looking up to Lena.

 

Not wanting to cause a scene and be reported to the Commissioner or their Captain for harassing the Mayor, Lena bites her tongue and patiently waits for Morgan to end his call.

 

“Sorry about that,” he begins once he places the phone on the receiver. His tone and general lack of interest makes it obvious to Kara and Lena that he isn’t really sorry. “So, how can I help you two ladies?” He looks between the two detectives and the appraising look he gives makes their skin crawl and sends a small, uncomfortable shiver down their spines.

 

When his eyes fall to Lena though, recognition dawns on him.

 

“Lena Luthor.” He’s quick to round his desk. “Lovely to see you again. Been a while,” he remarks as he casually leans against the front of his desk.

 

“At least ten years,” she answers, keeping a cool, calm and collected tone to her voice.

 

He chuckles, clearly finding amusement in Lena’s attempt at hiding her sarcasm. “What brings you to my humble second home.” He gestures to his office.

 

“We’re here to talk about a murder that took place last week,” Lena says.

 

“A murder, what does that have to do with me?” He chuckles at the apparent absurdity of it.

 

“Do you know this woman?” Kara asks as she hands Morgan a photo of Naomi.

 

He takes the photo and looks at it closely, and Kara and Lena see the realization dawn on him. They can see that regardless of what his answer will be, his face does nothing to hide the fact that he does know her.

 

"Can’t say that I do,” he answers after steadying himself.

 

Kara and Lena exchange a glance at the obvious lie.

 

“Mr. Edge, we know about the affair,” Kara says as carefully as possible so as to diffuse any sort of negative reaction before one even occurs.

 

“Affair?” He chuckles again.

 

Kara doesn’t say anything, instead, she slips one of the less promiscuous out of the manila folder she’s holding and hands it to Morgan.

 

“Where did you get this?” he asks with obvious anger in his voice.

 

“Mrs. Baker had several images like this-” Lena begins before she’s cut off by a more frustrated Morgan Edge.

 

“Who is Mrs. Baker!”

 

Kara and Lena exchange a slightly confused glance.

 

“The woman in the picture,” Kara says when she looks back at Morgan.

 

“No,” he says with defiance, clearly in no mood to be speaking with the two detectives. “This is Violet Lucas. I have no idea who Mrs Baker is.”

 

“Mr. Edge, where were you at five o’clock in the morning last Thursday?” Lena asks.

 

"Home. Asleep.”

 

“And is there anyone who can verify this?”

 

“My wife,” he says and Lena nods as she writes his answer down in her small notepad. “What happened to Violet?”

 

“She was murdered,” Kara says, “Shot to death in an alley.”

 

“And you think I had something to do with it.” He doesn’t phrase this as a question, simply a statement of fact.

 

“We’re just trying to figure out what happened,” Kara quickly says.

 

“But you think I killed her, don’t you.” His tone is becoming more accusatory, and again, he doesn’t phrase this as a question. “You think I got bored of the little affair and instead of parting ways I had her killed.” There’s a frustrated type of amusement to his voice now. “Or better yet, she started blackmailing me, so I had her killed. Is that what you think happened, _detectives_?” When he doesn’t receive an instant answer, he continues speaking through gritted teeth now. “You need to leave. _Now_.”

 

So, they do. As much as they’d like to arrest him, Kara and Lena know that they can’t. They have direct orders from the commissioner that they need to stop working this case and arresting the Mayor in connection to that case is the exact opposite of what they were asked to do.

 

They bite their tongues and leave the office.

 

* * *

 

By the time they’re riding the elevator car up to the fifth floor it’s after six o’clock and having spent most of the afternoon out and working the case, and getting nothing new, Kara and Lena are tired and in need of a night off.

 

They walk back to their desks and Kara sees that Alex, Maggie, and Lucy have already left and that several other detectives in the bullpen appear to be packing up before the night shift people come in. They drop into their respective chairs and sink back into the mesh backing.

 

“Do you have plans for tonight?” Kara asks when she sees Lena rub the bridge of her nose.

 

"No. You?”

 

“I was planning on getting a drink at the bar, do you wanna come with and, I dunno, just not think about the case for a little bit?”

 

“I’d love to,” Lena says, smiling kindly at Kara’s offer.

 

* * *

 

 

Kara and Lena make the short two block walk to the bar and the cold December air prompts them to hug their coats closer to their bodies and draw their scarves higher up their necks. But, when they step into the bar, they’re both quick to rid themselves of their heavy winter wear.

 

The bar’s relatively empty for a Friday night so Kara and Lena are able to find two empty spaces at the bar. They slide onto the bar stools, tossing their coats over the back and ordering a drink as they do so.

 

It’s fifteen minutes of easy conversation and silly jokes before either one of them brings up a serious topic.

 

"Kara,” Lena says, fiddling with the small dint on the wooden bar top.

 

"Mmm?”

 

“Do you think Naomi was happy with the secret life she made for herself?”

 

"I don’t know. Why?” Kara looks at Lena with curiosity.

 

“I don’t know, I guess I was just thinking about it. I mean, she risked everything to make this new life for herself. Even though something terrible happened because of it, I kinda hope she was happy for at least a little bit of her time as Violet Lucas.”

 

Kara hums her agreement and takes another sip of her drink.

 

The night dwindles on and as conversation flows between the pair, so too does the alcohol, and it isn’t long until both detectives can feel a buzz coursing through them. They attribute this to the few drinks they’ve had, but deep down inside, they know the alcohol they’ve consumed isn’t the reason. There’s no way that they’ve had enough to drink to explain away the heat of their skin and the fluttering sensation in their stomachs.

 

They move past the more serious topics and instead focus on the purpose of their outing: to relax and forget about the case for a night. Kara shares stories about the things her and Alex would get up to as teenagers, and Lena tells Kara about some of the funnier memories she has from the academy.

 

As they talk, drink and laugh, they move closer together, and it isn’t until they both stop talking and laughing that they realise just how close together they are – their faces no more than a foot apart.

 

This isn’t the first time they’ve found each other being so close, but it is the first time where they don’t feel as though there’s some weight on them. There’s no pressure to jump apart and get back to what they were doing, instead, there’s almost a pull that’s drawing them in.

 

They’ve been looking at each other for a solid minute now and previously, they’ve normally moved apart by this point. They’ve normally realised how close they are and what it means or what it could lead to and jumped apart, but not this time. Now, in the warm atmosphere of the bar that’s slowly grown empty over the hours, they slowly inch closer.

 

They hold each other’s gaze and unlike the light-heartedness that filled their eyes only minutes ago, there’s a seriousness that wasn’t there before. They both know what they’re doing and what it could mean for their partnership, but right now every possible reason there is that they should separate and forget about this time too, feels so pedestrian and trivial.

 

They continue to close the space between them and now they can feel the heat of each other’s breath ghosting over their lips, the anticipation building inside them, and the buzzing that seems to grow the closer they move to one another.

 

“Bar’s closing,” the bartender announces loudly to the few patrons left.

 

The sudden loud announcement from the bartender causes Lena and Kara to jump apart. It seems that the importance of what they were about to do dawns on the pair and they’re now left staring at one another with a noticeable gap now between them.

 

"Do you wanna split a cab?” Kara asks, and she wants to smack herself for saying that. Out of all the things she could’ve and should’ve said ‘do you wanna split a cab?’ is what she says.

 

“Sure,” Lena answers, a little thrown for the sudden change.

 

There was an electricity, a spark just seconds before, and though it seems to still be present now, it’s dulled down and almost being ignored, at least for the time being. They stand up and toss enough money on the counter to cover the costs of their drinks, before they shrug into their coats, wrap their scarves around their necks and leave the bar, ready to brace the cold air and the gravity of what was about to happen.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked reading that, I had fun writing it. We'll be wrapping up this story soon - which may seem strange considering there's still a fair amount of stuff to explain, but everything will eventually be explained - so I hope you're keen for that. Anyway, thanks for reading. You can leave a comment with your thoughts or constructive criticism if you want. Also, if you did see any errors (I'm sure you did, I seriously suck at editing) feel free to let me know and I'll fix 'em up.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks so much for reading :)


	13. The Spark in Their Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of things before you read this chapter. It is smut, so if that's not your thing, feel free to skip this chapter. Also, this is a first for me, so I wasn't totally sure about the rating. I don't think I need to bump the rating up but if you think I do, let me know and I'll fix it up.
> 
> Also, because this is my first go at writing smut, I wasn't totally sure what I was doing. I did read a fair bit of tips and pointers from other writers, but honestly, the only way for me to get better is through practice. So, any tips of your own would be greatly appreciated as well as any feedback you have on this chapter. Anyway, I think that's all from me.
> 
>  
> 
> Happy reading :)

 

* * *

 

They push through the bar’s weathered wooden door and step out onto the empty street. Midnight is fast approaching, so most people are already at home fast asleep or partying away in some of the livelier areas of National City, leaving the street void of people.

 

As they stand at the curb, waiting for a cab to drive by, Lena and Kara are standing closer together than they would otherwise need to be. They’re side-by-side, should-to-shoulder, barely touching and yet there’s still that same buzz and heat that was almost overwhelming just minutes before.

 

They’re standing in silence now, alternating between looking at the ground and glancing up every so often to spot for a cab. The silence this time is different though, and not like anything they’ve experienced before. It’s like a damn is quickly filling and about to reach its capacity. Sooner or later the gates will have to open, and everything that needs to come out, will. There’s an unspoken tension between the pair that’s building up and near capacity.

 

There’s no sign of a cab and the silence draws on. Both detectives can feel this almost instinctive pull and desire to glance at one another. The spark that they could feel in the bar is still there and they’re craving a more intense version of it now.

 

A breeze passes through, causing the two detectives to move closer together, seeking more warmth even though they’re burning up with their closeness and everything that hasn’t been said.

 

The street’s relatively empty, so it’s easy to spot the bright headlights that turn onto the street, and it only takes a second to realize that it’s a cab that’s quickly approaching them. They both know that once they get into that cab, whatever was about to happen will be ignored and swept aside just like every other moment before.

 

They can both see that they probably have no more than thirty seconds until the cab reaches them, thirty seconds to do something completely ridiculous but perhaps completely sensical.

 

Twenty-five seconds.

 

 _It’s now or never_ , Kara thinks. Because it is. Sure, they may have more moments in the future, but nothing will ever compare to this moment right now. The buzzing that’s coursing through her veins, the fluttery sensation in her stomach, the heat and tingling of her skin, and the racing of her heart, none of that can be replicated.

 

Twenty seconds.

 

Kara takes a breath and turns away from the road, from the cab, away from everything that isn’t Lena. It feels like everything stops then, as cliché as it might be. The racing of her heart subdues into a soft and rhythmic _thud… thud… thud_ when she locks eyes with Lena and all the other distractions around them fade away.

 

It’s almost tantalizingly slow as they lean in, closing the already small gap between each other. It’s painful almost but in the best kind of way that further ignites that spark when their lips do finally meet. Their kiss is chaste at first, merely just their lips pressing together, but that’s all it takes. The gates burst and the tension and desire that’s been gradually building up are all released in that one moment.

 

Their kiss deepens and it’s unclear who took that leap but when their tongues meet and move together, there’s an almost practiced rhythm to it, as though this is their hundredth kiss and not their first. They draw each other impossibly closer: Lena drawing Kara in with a small tug of her scarf, and Kara bringing her arms around Lena to hold her close.

 

The need for air eventually becomes too strong and so the pair separate. They don’t move far apart though, Lena’s still holding Kara’s scarf and Kara still has her arms held loosely around Lena’s middle, showing no signs of letting go anytime soon.

 

There’s a certain endearing quality about Kara that seems to enhance itself right now. Lena’s picked up on it previously, but now she’s seeing it in such a pure form. The way Kara’s hair is slightly tousled, how her lips and surrounding area is marked with her lipstick. She looks thoroughly kissed and yet the goofy grin Kara’s sporting highlights the playfulness she has even in serious moments.

 

Lena easily returns the smile and knows full well that her hair is likely somewhat of a mess and that there’s a blush creeping up her neck from the intensity and sincerity of Kara’s gaze.

 

Maintaining her gaze and closeness with Lena, Kara flags down the cab that was mere seconds from driving straight past them. When the yellow cab stops at the curb Kara’s quick to open the door and offer her hand to Lena. It’s there that they have another one of their silent conversations. Her silent question isn’t just about splitting a cab it’s more. She’s asking Lena for more and patiently waiting for her answer.

 

And as Lena looks at Kara now, in the low light emanating from the street lamps and apartments above, Lena doesn’t even have to think about her answer. She can see the earnestness in Kara, and the honest attraction she can see in her eyes fills Lena with so much warmth and happiness. Lena smiles and gladly takes Kara’s hand and slides into the cab quickly followed by Kara.

 

When the driver asks for an address there’s a second of hesitation from both women. Kara looks to Lena, another question in her eyes that Lena can so easily read. She knows what Kara’s asking and what it could lead to; she wants this, whatever it is or whatever it will be, she wants it. Lena smiles and nods at Kara, squeezing their joined hands.

 

With Lena’s silent answer, Kara’s quick to give the driver her address and sinks back into the worn-out leather seat. The drive to her apartment feels just as slow and torturous as the moment before their kiss. The back of the cab is fairly small, so they’re sitting close together, and they can both feel the heat radiating off one another and growing inside them. Their hands are still joined, their finger intertwined, and Lena’s rubbing small gentle circles on the top of Kara’s hand with her thumb, and the softness of the gesture makes Kara smile and fills her with warmth.

 

When they pull up to the curb out front Kara’s apartment building, they pay the fare and are quick to thank the driver and walk through the lobby and up to Kara’s floor.

 

When they’re standing in Kara’s apartment, it seems that the gravity of their actions has finally caught up to them. There’s a small gap between them now and their hands are no longer together, but they can still feel that buzzing, that unwavering desire to be closer.

 

They take small steps at first and with each step it seems that buzzing becomes more intense. When they’re close enough, Kara reaches a hand out to Lena and rests it on her upper arm, and even through the thick fabric of her coat, Lena can still feel the heat and warmth that seems to come from her touch.

 

They bring their bodies closer together; Kara’s arms held loosely around Lena’s waist and Lena’s hand resting lightly on Kara’s upper arms. They move closer again, not so close that their breath is ghosting over each other’s lips, but close. In the brief moment, before their lips do meet, they take the time to commit every small and minute detail to memory.

 

In the moonlight that seeps in through Kara’s windows, Lena can just make out the light scattering of freckles across the bridge of Kara’s nose, and the way her eyes remind her so much of the sky on a clear day back in Ireland. They remind her of home.

 

When they lean in again this time, they don’t stop. When their lips do finally meet again, Lena sighs, but not in the kind of way that shows discontent or annoyance. Rather, the kind of sigh you release when you sit down on a soft couch after standing on your feet for fourteen hours, or when you climb into your own bed after a long day and let the softness and warmth of the sheets lull you into sleep. It’s the kind of sigh the shows comfort and absolute pleasure.

 

Their kiss is soft and gentle at first; Kara pulls Lena just a little bit closer and one of Lena’s hands finds its way to Kara’s face where her thumb rubs gentle circles on her cheek. The kiss starts off as exploratory, filled with curiosity as they figure out what action draws a certain sound and what those sounds mean. But, as the minutes tick by and they become bolder and more brazen, they start to heat up.

 

When they pull apart next there’s a silent question in their eyes. They can stop what they’re doing and pretend it never happened, or they can keep going and see what happens next.

 

With a smile from Kara that Lena can see in the moonlit room and a nod from Lena that Kara can feel because of their closeness, they resume their kissing, albeit slightly more heated now. There’s careful biting and nipping now as their breaths become heavier. They start pushing at each other’s coats and Lena’s quick to pull Kara’s scarf off.

 

“Bedroom?” Lena asks, a little out of breath as Kara moves down to kiss and nip at her neck. She feels Kara nod against her neck and then gently guides her towards the bedroom.

 

After a few stumbles and accidental bumps with furniture, they find themselves in Kara’s bedroom at the side of her bed.

 

Keeping her gaze locked with Kara’s, Lena carefully reaches up and removes Kara’s glasses, folding them up and gently setting them on the side table beside them. The softness of the gesture makes Kara smile and she leans in again, bringing their lips together in a searing kiss.

 

When they lower themselves to the bed, Kara’s quick to straddle Lena’s hips and Lena makes quick work of Kara’s buttons, ridding her from her shirt and tossing it to the floor with several other articles of clothing that have already been removed.

 

When her own shirt and bar join the growing pile of clothes on the floor, Lena revels in the feel of Kara’s sheets against her bare back. They’re soft, completely unlike anything she’s ever felt before. Even sheets with the highest possible thread count, made from the most expensive of materials, could never be as soft as Kara’s sheets, and it’s something that Lena assumes can only be because they’re Kara’s.

 

They pick up their pace a little now, tugging at belts and pulling at pants, eager to get as much closeness as possible and satisfy the desire that’s building low in their bodies. When all their clothes are scattered across the floor and their bodies are flush together, they slow their pace.

 

Kara’s touches become longer and softer. Her fingers start at Lena’s face, holding it gently as their tongues move together in an almost rehearsed dance. They start to wander though, tracing over her jaw with a delicate precision and moving to her neck and slowly down her sternum.

 

She leaves an intense heat just under Lena’s skin, so when Kara’s hands graze over her nipples for barely a second before she takes one between her fingers, gently rolling it and pinching it, an almost guttural moan escapes from Lena’s mouth. She takes the other one in between her second hand, repeating her ministrations and slowly building Lena up.

 

Kara’s hands start to wander again, drifting down to graze over Lena’s ribcage. Her hands stop their downward track at Lena’s waist and Kara moves her hands languidly over Lena’s abdomen. She slots a thigh between Lena’s legs and presses gently against her, causing Lena to moan and press her blunt nails into Kara’s back. It’s almost painful just how long Kara draws this sweet torture out, but when one of her hands quickly drift lower, Lena decides that the wait is definitely worth it.

 

Kara rests her hand against Lena’s clit, and the heat coming from Kara’s hand is enough to send a bolt of desire straight through her. This is more painful than her hands roaming of her body, Lena decides. She can feel Kara’s hand and feel the warmth that’s coming from it, but it’s just resting against her, doing nothing but building her up. She rolls her hips in an attempt to get some kind of friction and some kind of release.

 

Lena moans when she gets an ounce of pressure, but after Lena rolls her hips, Kara’s quick to take her clit between her fingers, gently massaging the bundle of nerves and bringing her to the edge.

 

Lena whines when Kara stops for a brief second, but that’s quickly replaced with a gasp when Kara easily slides two fingers into her. Kara starts out slow, pumping her fingers in and out at a constant pace and using her thumb to apply pressure to Lena’s clit. She starts to speed up and twists her fingers to draw more moans from Lena.

 

Kara curls her fingers inside Lena, hitting the place she knows will cause Lena to come. She keeps her thumb on Lena’s clit and it isn’t long until Kara can feel Lena’s walls tensing around her fingers and her legs start to shake. And with one final push, a deep moan escapes from Lena’s mouth and she goes slack beneath Kara.

 

Kara presses a final kiss to Lena’s lips before she rolls off her and lays beside her as she catches her own breath.

 

“You are really good at that,” Lena says as she catches her breath.

 

“I aim to please,” Kara says with a goofy grin and small shrug of her shoulders.

 

Lena laughs at Kara's witty comment and after a moment, she quickly throws her legs over Kara’s hips. “Now, how about I return the favor,” Lena says, smirking down at Kara who’s grinning up at her.

 

“I’d be okay with that,” Kara answers, the same grin still on her face.

 

Lena’s quick to re-join their lips, but she slows the pace again. Wanting to draw this moment out for as long as possible. She trails kisses down Kara’s neck and along her chest and stomach, eliciting moans and gasps from the woman below her.

 

She continues moving down, spurred on by Kara’s eager hands running through her hair and urging her down. She smirks a little at Kara’s eagerness, and nips and licks at her hips and inside of her thighs.

 

It only takes a couple of minutes until Lena feels Kara’s muscles tighten and can hear her breathing becoming more labored. She knows she’s close, so it doesn’t take much until Lena hears a moan escape from Kara’s mouth. Lena guides her through it and just as Kara’s coming down from her high, Lena builds her up again and draws one last orgasm from her before she crawls up Kara’s body and plants a sloppy kiss to her lips.

 

When they separate for the final time, it’s well past two o’clock in the morning. Kara’s quick to succumb to sleep while Lena lays awake for several minutes, staring up at the ceiling as she listens to the deep breaths coming from the woman next to her.

 

The curtains in Kara’s bedroom are still open, so the gentle light of the moon trickles in, casting everything within reach in a soft, white light. Lena takes everything in, letting everything calm her. The feel of Kara’s sheets on her skin and a smell that she can only attribute to Kara filling her senses. Everything makes her feel safe, and it’s that, coupled with the warm body beside her, that eventually pulls her to sleep.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading to the end, really appreciate that. Any and all forms of feedback/constructive criticism is welcomed and certainly appreciated.
> 
> I did actually have a bit of difficulty figuring out where to place this chapter. At first I thought having it later on would be better, but I decided that for the sake of the story and relationship development, it would be better to put it here and not later on. I do think the story would be just as good if I had this chapter later on, but I figure I just need to stop overthinking it.
> 
> So yeah, thanks for reading, hope you liked it and I'll be back with the next two chapters soon. I'll try to finish the next two chapters just so you don't have to wait like four days in between chapters, so it might be a week until the next update. We'll just see how that goes.
> 
> Thanks again :)


	14. Their Eyes See The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter for you folks. Also, I know I said that I'd finish the remaining two chapters and upload them a couple hours apart but I got busy over the week and I'm about to get a whole lot busier in the coming weeks so I haven't written the next chapter yet. Anyway, it's still early for me and I have mapped out the next chapter quite extensively, so, with any luck, I should have it up in two days, maybe one day if the words decide to co-operate. I make no promises though.
> 
>  
> 
> Happy reading :)

 

* * *

 

The light pattering of rain on glass pulls Lena from her sleep. She’s groggy at first but when her vision clears, she quickly realizes that she’s not in her own bed. When she hears the rustling of sheets beside her and then a warm arm thrown over her middle though, all thoughts about being someplace different leave her, and her eyes snap to the source of the sound.

 

Her heart begins to race when memories of last night flash through her mind, but not because she regrets it. Lena doesn’t do… _this_. She doesn’t just sleep with someone after knowing them for a week and a half, let alone a work colleague. She doesn’t get close enough to people for _this_ to happen, and yet, here she is: in bed with Kara.

 

Before Lena has the chance to freak out Kara murmurs something in her sleep, and the softness of it calms her racing heart. Yes, she doesn’t do things like _this_ , but that’s always been because she’s never gotten close enough to someone, but with Kara it’s different. There’s nothing empirical to prove it but she can feel it; she knows there’s something different.

 

Lena softens under Kara’s arm and slowly shuts her eyes as the warmth and comfort she feels moves through her body. She can feel herself drifting off again, and just as she’s about to succumb to sleep, Lena feels Kara’s thumb start to rub small circles on her stomach.

 

* * *

 

When Lena wakes next, the first thing she notices is that the comforting weight of Kara’s arm across her middle is gone. She sits up in a sleepy confusion – the comforter failing around her waist – and sees that she’s now alone in the bed. Lena takes a moment to look around the room, taking in the empty canvases in one corner, a dresser lined with photos just below a large window, a chair with clothes thrown across it, and a stand-alone mirror with shirts hanging off it.

 

“You’re up,” Kara says with a smile as she walks towards Lena, two colorful, mismatching mugs in hand.

 

Lena’s head snaps towards Kara’s voice, and it’s then that she seems to realize that she’s not wearing any clothes. She pulls the comforter up towards her chin.

 

“Shoot, sorry.” Kara’s quick to turn around when she sees Lena’s discomfort. “Do you want a shirt?”

 

“Yeah,” Lena says as she scans the floor for her own shirt. “I can’t see mine on the floor, do you have one I can borrow?”

 

“Of course.” Kara quickly sets the two mugs down on the dresser and pulls open the bottom drawer to grab a shirt which she quickly hands to Lena. “I hope you don’t mind, it’s the shirt I got from the academy,” Kara says with her back to Lena.

 

Lena smiles down at it after she pulls it over her head. “Not at all, makes me feel like I’m back there running drills,” she says with a smile. And it’s true. Even though she didn’t go to National City Police Academy, wearing something with the words ‘Police Academy’ on it, reminds her of the six months she spent at the academy. The fact that it’s soft and smells like Kara just makes her smile a little bit more. “You can turn around now.”

 

Kara does so. “I made you some coffee,” she says as she hands one of the mugs to Lena. “No sugar and a splash of milk,” she says with a smile.

 

“Thank you,” Lena says before she takes a sip.

 

There’s a heavy silence that falls in the room. They’re both trying to keep their eyes away from each other for fear of awkwardness. It’s Kara who eventually tries to break the silence. She goes to open her mouth and is about to ask Lena a question when the ringing of her phone cuts her off.

 

Kara’s quick to set her mug down and grab her phone from the bedside table. A quick glance at the caller ID tells her that Alex is calling, and she’s glad to be hearing from her sister, but annoyed that her phone call couldn’t have waited another twenty minutes.

 

“Hey, what’s up?” Kara says into the phone.

 

_"Hey, I’m down at the precinct and I just saw Commissioner Lane walk into Henshaw’s office.”_

 

“Do you know why he’s in there?”

 

_"I can hear him yelling about Henshaw getting his detectives in line and learning how to follow an order. I also heard him shouting about how we shouldn’t accuse the Mayor of murder. Does this by any chance relate to your case?”_

 

“Yeah, that'll be us. I’ll grab Lena and we’ll be in soon. Thanks, Alex,” Kara says before she ends the call.

 

“What was that about?” Lena asks.

 

“Lane is down at the precinct,” Kara explains. “Edge must’ve told him that we came to question him about our case because from what Alex said, he sounds pretty pissed.”

 

“Let’s go then,” Lena says, though she makes no attempt to move from her position. “Um, do you mind?” Lena asks hesitantly, hinting at the fact she’d rather not walk around pant-less with Kara in the same room.

 

“Oh, right, yeah, sorry.” Kara adjusts her glasses as she moves to leave. “Um, feel free to borrow some clothes if you don’t want to wear what you wore yesterday- not that there’s anything wrong with what you wore yesterday, I just thought you might want to wear something clean.”

 

“Thank you, Kara,” Lena says, a smile finding its way across her face at Kara’s kind offer and her endearing rambling. Kara smiles and nods, grabbing a clean set of work clothes before she leaves.

 

After a quick minute of searching the floor, Lena does find her clothes, but after sitting in a pile on the floor all night, they’re crumpled and are riddled with creases. She opts to borrow some of Kara’s clothes; finding a white blouse and matching grey pantsuit. She grabs a hair tie off Kara’s dresser and pulls her hair into a high ponytail as she walks out of the room to meet Kara who’s standing by the door, dressed and ready to leave.

 

* * *

 

It isn’t long until Kara and Lena are riding the elevator car up to the fifth-floor bullpen. It seems that as soon as they walk into the bullpen Commissioner Lane knows because he looks through the window and glares at them.

 

“You two,” Lane says as soon as he throws the office door open, “Here. Now.” He doesn’t raise his voice as he says this though, rather, there’s a stern tone to it that’s made more intense by the fact that his voice remains at a relatively normal volume.

 

“Take a seat, detectives,” Henshaw calmly says once Lena and Kara are standing in his office.

 

“That won’t be necessary, Hank. I’ll make this quick,” Lane interrupts, that same intensity present in his voice. “You had direct orders to stop your investigation, did you not?”

 

“Yes,” Lena and Kara simultaneously say.

 

“And not only did you continue, but you accused the mayor of murder!” His voice begins to rise.

 

“To be fair, sir,” Lena continues.

 

“I don’t care!” Lane yells, cutting Lena off. “You went against my orders and for what?” He phrases it as though it’s some kind of joke. “This case should’ve been closed in no more than a day, two tops. It was clearly a mugging gone wrong and yet you two _wasted_ department resources that could’ve been used for other cases that are more than a mugging! Control your detectives, Hank, or we will have a problem,” he addresses Henshaw. “And as for you two,” he turns to Kara and Lena, “Stop. Working. This. Case.”

 

“Have you ever lost a family member before you had a chance to say goodbye, sir?” Kara asks.

 

“Excuse me? Now is not the time for personal questions, _detective_.” Lane faces Kara fully now.

 

“I didn’t think you had.”

 

“You listen here-”

 

“No, you listen,” Kara stands up fully and moves towards Lane, a firmness forming in her voice. “You don’t know the pain that comes from having a family member _murdered_. Naomi left behind a whole entire life. Her kids are never going to see her again. They’re going to live the rest of their lives with a hole in their heart, and a pang of sadness whenever something good happens and their mother isn’t there to see it. They will _always_ be left wondering what their Mom would think. I want to take all that away from those kids, I want them to never have to worry about that, but I can’t. There is nothing we can do to bring Naomi back, but we can find the person who killed her.” Kara pauses and looks him down. “And trust me when I say this, we _are_ going to find the person who did this.”

 

There’s a beat of silence that passes in the room. Lena and Henshaw watch on as Kara and Lane stare at each other, waiting for the other one to back down.

 

“Why is it that you’re so invested in stopping this investigation?” Kara asks. “What is it that you don’t want us to see?”

 

“You’re walking on _very_ thin ice,” Lane practically growls after a moment. “Stop working this case now.” Before he leaves, Lane gives one last look to Henshaw, silently commanding him to get control of his detectives.

 

“I am not stopping this case,” Kara says as she spins to face Henshaw once Lane is out of the office.

 

“Neither am I,” Lena says as she moves to stand beside Kara.

 

“Why did you talk to the Mayor?” Henshaw asks.

 

Kara and Lena exchange a brief look before Lena explains; “Naomi had photos to prove that they were having an affair.”

 

Henshaw breathes in deeply and leans back in his chair as he rubs the bridge of his nose. “Okay,” he says after a moment, looking up at the two detectives in his office, “I don’t want you to stop your case; it’s obvious there’s something bigger going on. But I need you two to be more subtle. Having an affair isn’t illegal, so I don’t want you speaking with Edge again unless you’re about to arrest him for something.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” Lena says.

 

“Don’t thank me, just go find whoever did this.”

 

With a quick nod and smile of appreciation from the two detectives, Kara and Lena leave Henshaw’s office and return to their own desks where they drop into their chairs.

 

“How bad was it?” Alex asks, suddenly appearing by Lena and Kara’s desks.

 

“Probably couldn’t have been much worse,” Kara says as she gives her sister a half smile.

 

“What’d he want anyway?”

 

“We were ordered off the case yesterday,” Lena says, “but we didn’t stop; he was quite annoyed about that.

 

“I see,” Alex nods in understanding. “Why’s he so interested in your case though? I’ve never heard of a Commissioner ordering detectives off a specific case.”

 

Just one of the many things that don’t add up,” Kara says.

 

“You two staying today?” Alex asks after a brief pause.

 

“Yeah?” Kara says, looking to Lena for her own answer, and when she gets a nod in response she continues. “Probably be good if we can get this case solved as soon as possible so Lane doesn’t get angry again.”

 

“Alright, well, you two have fun then. I just came in to get some paperwork so I’m heading out now. I think Lucy said she was gonna be in later today.”

 

With one final wave over her shoulder, Alex walks out of the bullpen and toward the elevator, leaving Kara and Lena alone with each other and their case.

 

* * *

 

Kara glances up to the clock on the wall and watches as the second-hand moves around the clock face. It’s six o’clock now and they’ve been at the precinct all day, working the case with the hope that they’d find something useful, but ultimately coming up with nothing new.

 

“Detective Danvers?” a uniformed officer asks, pulling Kara’s gaze away from the clock.

 

“Yes?” Kara looks up to see a uniformed officer holding a small white envelope with her name written across it.

 

“This came for you today.” He hands the envelope to Kara who quickly tears into it, finding a USB and small note.

 

Kara holds to objects up so Lena can see it, a curious look on her face. “Who left it?” Kara asks.

 

"No idea. I ducked off to the bathroom for two minutes and came back to find that on the front desk.”

 

“Anything else with it?” Kara asks.

 

“No, just the envelope.”

 

"Thank you,” Kara says, and the officer leaves the two detectives.

 

“What’s the note say?” Lena asks.

 

“’Hope this helps’,” Kara reads aloud. She flips the small piece of paper over but finds nothing else. As she scans her eyes back over the message though, she recognizes something about the handwriting. There’s a familiarity to the cursive on the paper, but Kara can’t quite pick where she knows it from.

 

“You okay?” Lena asks, having picked up on Kara’s expression after reading the note.

 

“Yeah, it’s just...” Kara trails off. She shakes her head and looks up at Lena. “It’s nothing.”

 

“Okay,” Lena says, not believing Kara but also not wanting to press her for more information.

 

“Anyway, what’d you think’s on the USB?”

 

“One way to find out,” Lena says.

 

Kara’s quick to insert the USB into her computer and pull up the file explorer as Lena comes around to Kara’s desk. She leans over Kara’s shoulder, but still keeps a respectable distance.

 

“It’s an audio file,” Kara says. She opens the recording and adjusts the volume on her computer so it’s loud enough for them to hear, but not so loud that it will disturb the few other people in the bullpen.

 

There’s static for a second and a soft murmur of distant voices, followed shortly by a soft click then the sound of someone sitting down. There are a few quick clicking sounds, which Kara and Lena quickly recognize as someone pressing the buttons on a standard office phone.

 

_"It’s done,”_ a voice says. It takes Kara and Lena second to recognize the voice as Commissioner Lane’s, but it’s undeniable that it’s his voice they’re hearing.

 

“Sounds like someone bugged his office,” Lena says when Lane’s voice falls silent, and Kara hums her agreement as she listens intently to the recording.

 

_"No, no, I took care of it myself.”_

 

Lane falls silent and Kara and Lena assume that someone on the other end of the call is speaking.

 

_"The bitch was threatening to steal from me, of course, I did it myself.”_

There’s an audible laugh as he says this, and Kara and Lena instantly recognize it as Lane’s laugh.

 

_“I don’t care what Morgan thinks. He was the one dumb enough to have an affair with her, and he was so fucking blind that he didn’t see that she was trying to blackmail him. Gotta give the girl credit though, she hid her real identity pretty well. Fake ID, separate apartment. She’s smart.”_

 

Lane falls silent again.

 

_“Otis found a reminder at Violet’s apartment to visit Max a few nights ago. I was gonna pay him a visit later today and see what he knows.”_

 

A longer silence this time.

 

_"Of course, he’s gotta go. The kid’s too smart for his own good.”_ Lane laughs. _“He doesn’t know what he’s gone and gotten himself into. I was just gonna get one of the Graves siblings to take care of it later this week.”_

 

Another silence.

 

_"Does it matter which one? They’re both fucking nuts,”_ Lane laughs loudly at his own joke and the uncomfortable sound sends a shiver down Lena’s spine. _“Nah, I’ll just get Mercy to do it. Maxy’s smart, but he’s also a single thirty-year-old who has an insane desire to sleep with as many women as possible. I’ll just have her play some part about wanting to see his office or something and then she can search it once she kills him.”_

 

The recording ends bringing with it a tense silence. Kara and Lena stare at the computer screen, their gaze focused intently on the small icon of the recording. Their thoughts race as they piece together all the new information. The longer the silence draws out, the clearer it becomes. The realization is simultaneous, and they look away from the screen and to each other.

 

“Lane killed Naomi Baker,” Kara says.

 

“And had Maxwell Lord killed too,” Lena adds.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading 'till the end! I'm sure you know the drill by now: feedback is appreciated as well as constructive criticism and what not. Fingers crossed that I'll be back with the final chapter in a couple days.
> 
> I would also like to reassure you that everything will be explained. I know there is quite a number of little things that I haven't addressed yet but trust me, I will be explaining everything.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks again :)


	15. My Eyes Must be Deceiving Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, folks here's the final chapter. I've had a blast writing this story and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sticking around 'till this point, I really appreciate it. Also, just want to say a big thanks for all the nice comments, I love reading those and it's so nice to see that you're getting invested in this story. I hope this ending lives up to whatever expectations you may have.
> 
> I would like to apologize that it took me a while to release this. I've had the very end written since the beginning, but I had some trouble getting the words and story to flow in the first part. So, I do hope you like what I've managed to write. Also, apologies in advance for any grammatical and spelling mistakes. I do try and find 'em all, but I'm no pro. Anyway, enough from me. Enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> Happy reading :)

 

* * *

 

The recording plays itself on a loop in Lena’s mind as everything else clicks into place. It’s clear now why Lane killed Naomi, but the question still stands, why did he have Maxwell killed? When Lena snaps out of her thoughts and returns to the present, she sees Kara shuffling through papers and files that litter her desk.

 

“What’re you looking for?”

 

“Those bank transfer records,” Kara says as she pulls a folder out from the bottom of a pile. She flips it open and spreads the records across her desk as best as she can. “Lane mentioned that Naomi was trying to steal from him, yeah?” Lena nods. “Right, and we know that Edge has been paying people large sums of money and receiving even larger amounts, so, what if Lane is on this payroll thing as well.”

 

“You think whatever business Edge is in, Lane is in too?”

 

“Yeah. Which brings me to his motive for killing Naomi. Naomi had pictures that prove Edge’s infidelity, that kind of scandal could ruin his career and would certainly ruin his marriage. Naomi knew this and was going to blackmail him."

 

“Why would she need to do that though? He was already buying her nice things."

 

“Yes, as Violet, not as Naomi. Now, we saw Naomi’s financial records and they aren’t exactly great, and her husband’s a manager at a grocery store, so I can’t imagine that money is great for them.”

 

“So, Naomi tries to blackmail Edge, gets however much money she wants or needs, Lane finds out, knows it’ll likely interfere with his own cut of money or that it could risk the exposure of whatever was going on, so he kills her,” Lena says after catching on with Kara’s theory.

 

“Exactly what I'm thinking,” Kara says as she leans back in her chair.

 

“Okay,” Lena nods and ponders Kara’s theory for a moment. “What about Maxwell then?”

 

“Those records we found at his cabin, they aren’t much and don’t really prove anything because it’s all anonymous, but I think it’s enough proof that someone’s been accepting money that they shouldn’t have been.”

 

“Edge and Lane.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Why would he have them though?” Lena asks.

 

“I think Naomi gave them to him in case something happened or just to keep them safe.”

 

"So, in Lane’s mind, Maxwell just knew too much.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

There’s a silence that falls over the pair as everything sinks in. They let the facts of the case wash over them as everything clicks into place; while it’s just a theory, Kara’s idea makes sense.

 

“Do you think Lucy knows?” Lena asks eventually.

 

They glance over at Lucy who’s clutching a bag of chips in one hand and soda in the other as she uses her crutches to get to her desk.

 

“What’re you two looking at?” she asks in amusement when she sees Kara and Lena looking at her. The look of conflict on their faces prompts Lucy to ditch her attempt at humor. “What’s wrong?” she asks seriously this time.

 

Kara and Lena exchange a look, silently debating whether or not they should tell Lucy. They know they have to though; she’s not only their Sergeant but also their friend, and this is the kind of thing that she should hear from them and not see on the news first thing tomorrow morning. They leave their desks and go to sit around Lucy’s.

 

“We found the guy who killed Naomi Baker and Maxwell Lord,” Kara says.

 

“Okay?” Lucy looks between them because she isn’t sure why they don’t sound happier about this. “Why do you two look so down then?”

 

“Your father is responsible,” Kara says. “He killed Naomi and ordered Mercy Graves to kill Maxwell Lord.”

 

Lucy doesn’t say anything. She sits in a stunned silence for a moment, before she seems to collect herself and snap back into the present. “Um, how’d you know he did it?”

 

“We got a recording,” Lena says. “He confessed to killing Naomi himself and why he did it, and also to hiring Mercy to kill Maxwell.”

 

“Oh, well, okay.” Lucy nods as a way of processing the information. She looks away from them for a moment, and when she does look back at the two detectives, Lucy masks whatever feelings of sadness she may have, and a steely expression fills her face. “This is just another case. Thank you for telling me, I wouldn’t want to be finding out about this on the news tomorrow. So now, you two know what you need to do.”

 

Kara and Lena nod and each offer Lucy one last solemn look before dashing off towards Winn’s office. Instead of taking the elevator, they use the stairs and descend to the second floor. They run through the corridors and push through Winn’s office door, not even thinking of knocking because they’re in such a rush.

 

The sudden intrusion causes Winn to jump in his seat and fire a foam bullet out of the toy gun he’s holding. The bullet flies past the two detectives and attaches to the wall behind them.

 

“You two scared me,” he says as he catches his breath from the fright. “Couldn’t have knocked first?”

 

“Sorry,” Kara apologizes, “we need you to ping someone’s phone.”

 

“Sure.” He sets the bright toy gun down and hovers over his keyboard. “What’s it for?”

 

"We found our murderer and we need to know where he is,” Kara explains.

 

“Who am I pinging then?” He looks at them expectantly.

 

"Sam Lane,” Lena says.

 

Winn’s about to start typing away, but when the name registers in his mind, he falters and looks between the detectives standing before him. “As in,” he waves his hands around out of nervousness, “the Commissioner? Commissioner Sam Lane?”

 

“Yeah,” Kara and Lena simultaneously say, nodding as they do.

 

Winn nods and remains silent as he pings Lane’s phone to find his location. “Got it,” he announces, keeping his eyes on the screen. “He’s in the warehouse district. I’ll send the address to your phones now.”

 

Their phones chime, signaling the arrival of a message, and with a quick glance, Kara and Lena read the address. They thank Winn and run out of his office, taking the stairs to the parking garage.

 

* * *

 

It doesn’t take them long until they’re on the outskirts of the city and weaving through a maze of empty warehouses. It takes another couple minutes of driving until they spot Lane’s car parked out front one of the older warehouses in the area.

 

The building itself looks like it could’ve been quite nice once upon a time, but for a number of different factors, it stands before them looking decrepit and run-down. Most of the windows that run along the second level are shattered and the sheets of corrugated iron that cover the structure are red with rust.

 

They peer up at the structure from the car and a shiver runs down their spines. There’s something about the building that just feels uncomfortable, whether that because of the things its seen or just because of its appearance remains unclear. But there’s still something off-putting about the building.

 

Once they stop the car and switch the lights off, they exchange a quick look and nod before heading out and towards the warehouse. Lena leads the way and uses her shoulder to push a weathered wooden door open. The door leads them to a main office of sorts, light from the main floor creeps in through the blinds on the windows. They quietly push through another door that leads them to the main floor.

 

They can hear a voice and the clicking of shoes on concrete, so they stop their approach and wait behind a wall. Lena peaks her head around the corner and can instantly see Sam Lane standing in the middle of the empty warehouse, briefcase in hand. However, her eyes fall to a woman standing a couple of feet away from him. Lena can’t make out much of the woman because of the poor light and angle, but even from the profile of her face, Lena feels like she’s seen the woman somewhere before, though where that might be, she isn’t sure.

 

“There’s a woman there,” Lena whispers to Kara.

 

“Can you see who it is?” Kara asks, keeping her voice low.

 

"No.”

 

Lena looks back around the corner and watches Lane and the mystery woman for no more than fifteen seconds. She can tell that they’re are talking about something, but they’re whispering, so all she can hear are slight murmurs.

 

Lena looks back to Kara. “On my count,” she whispers, “Three, two, one.”

 

They both stand and quickly move around the corner and into the open with a trained authority, side-arms out and aimed at the ready.

 

“NCPD!” they simultaneously shout, causing Lane to freeze in place and the mystery woman to bolt for an exit along the side wall.

 

“I’ve got her,” Lena says to Kara just before she runs off to follow the woman, leaving Kara alone with Lane.

 

“Commissioner Lane,” Kara begins, her voice echoing off the concrete ground and steel walls, “You are under arrest for murder and conspiracy to commit murder.” Kara moves closer to him, cautious of the fact that he still has his side-arm.

 

“You’re making a mistake, detective,” Lane says, remaining stock still.

 

“I don’t think so. Now, put your hands on your head and turn around.”

 

Lane co-operates, so Kara slides her side-arm into its holster and moves closer. She’s ten feet away now and just as she’s about to take another step forward, Lane quickly spins around, draws his side-arm and fires a shot.

 

Kara ducks, narrowly missing the bullet. She bolts to seek shelter behind a nearby concrete pillar and draws her side-arm again.

 

“I’m going to leave now,” Lane calls out, his side-arm aimed at the pillar. “You’re going to let me walk out of here and I’ll let you live. You’ll get to go back to whatever life you were living without even a scratch.”

 

Kara peers around the column and fires off a shot but misses when Lane ducks behind another concrete pillar.

 

“Why’d you do it?” Kara calls out. “She had a family, so why’d you kill Naomi?”

 

"Because she was going to expose everything. She found documents that could ruin me, and Morgan was completely oblivious, so he had no idea what was going on. He actually thought she loved him.”

 

“What about Maxwell then? Why’d he have to die?” Kara calls out as she peers around the column again. She can’t see Lane but assumes that he’s hiding behind the pillar across from her.

 

“He knew too much.” Lane peers around the column. “Naomi went and spoke with him, gave him a copy of everything she found.” Lane quietly leaves his spot behind the pillar and begins to make his way over to where Kara’s hiding, his gun drawn and footsteps silent. “How’d you figure out that it was me anyway?” he calls out as a means of distraction.

 

“Someone bugged your office and gave us a copy of the audio recording. You confessed to murdering Naomi and hiring Mercy to Kill Maxwell.”

 

Kara’s omission proves to be a genuine surprise to Lane. It causes him to stop his approach for a brief second as he tries to think of who bugged his office.

 

"Does Lucy know?” he eventually asks, continuing with his approach on Kara.

 

“She found out about an hour ago.” Kara stands up with her back hugged to the column as she begins to slide around the column and begin an approach on Lane. “Why’d you go crooked?” Kara asks after a moment.

 

The response comes a little delayed, but when it does come, Kara stills, and all the color falls from her face.

 

“Money,” Lane says, his voice far closer to her than Kara expected. “Don’t turn around,” he orders. “Good. Now, get on your knees and drop your gun.”

 

Kara does so. She closes her eyes and breathes in deeply through her nose, mentally preparing herself for what’s about to come. She knows what’s coming in the next few seconds and she can imagine what will happen in the minutes following the pull of the trigger.

 

Kara thinks about everything good in her life; her family and friends, her job. And then there’s Lena. She thinks about every small thing that’s happened between them and how happy she’s made her. She wants to do and see so much more, but if this is how it ends, Kara’s okay with that. She breathes in one last time, savoring the air even though it’s polluted, ready for whatever happens next.

 

“Don’t even think about,” a third voice commands from behind Lane.

 

Kara’s eyes snap open and she visibly relaxes, instantly recognizing it as Lena’s voice.

 

“Drop your weapon. Now.”

 

There’s a moment where it looks like Lane won’t, as though he thinks he’ll have enough time to take them both out. But he seems to realize that no matter what he does, he’s lost. Lane drops his gun, which Lena promptly kicks away; it skids along the concrete and comes to a rest several feet away.

 

Kara looks over her shoulder to see Lena pulling Lane’s hands into a set of cuffs. She smiles up at her. “Thanks.”

 

“Anytime,” Lena returns to smile, but there’s still an ounce of fear hiding behind her features that Kara can see clear as day.

 

* * *

 

Several hours have gone by since the arrest, and Kara and Lena have each spent more time than they would have like to, in the interrogation room, trying to get more information out Lane. He remains silent though, simply asking for his attorney and refusing any offer that the two detectives put forward.

 

“What happened with that woman?” Kara asks as her and Lena standing the viewing room, watching Lane through the one-way mirror.

 

“She got away; ducked into another one of the warehouses and I lost her there,” Lena says, crossing her arms over her chest as she continues to watch Lane. “He didn’t say anything about her to you?”

 

“Nope,” Kara shakes her head, “he hasn’t said anything yet.”

 

“It’s not like we need him to say anything. Mercy turned on him and gave him up; she said he hired her to kill Maxwell, gave us details and everything.”

 

Kara hums.

 

“Well, I’m gonna go pack some things up. You want another crack at him, or do you want me to grab someone to take him down to holding?” Lena asks.

 

“No, it’s fine. I wanna talk to him one more time.”

 

“Alright,” Lena nods and leaves the viewing room.

 

Kara takes one last look at Lane, and it’s as though he can feel someone looking at him because he snaps his head up to look at the one-way mirror, seemingly being able to see right through it.

 

Kara leaves the viewing room and walks into the interrogation room. She doesn’t say anything or make any sound aside from her shoes clicking on the linoleum floor and the scrapping of the metal chair she pulls out. She sits across from him, elbows on the table top, and a steely expression on her face.

 

They stare each other down for another moment, each waiting for the other to break first. Kara eventually makes the first move and switches off the recording device the rests on the table.

 

“You’re off the record now, talk,” Kara says.

 

Lane smirks at her, as though the idea of him telling her anything is some kind of joke. “If you think I’m gonna tell you anything then you’re insane.” He leans forward and is now almost uncomfortably close to Kara. “Do you know what will happen to me if I talk?”

 

"We can probably cut you some kind of deal.”

 

He laughs and leans back in his chair and looks across the table with a look of pure amusement across his face. “You really don’t know how deep this goes, do you?”

 

Kara doesn’t answer his question, instead, she asks him another question. “Who was the woman with you tonight?”

 

“If I told you that, you wouldn’t really be doing your job, would you?” There’s a cocky amusement present in his voice as he says this. Kara’s unwavering steely expression prompts him to continue speaking. “I can’t tell you anything, detective. If I do, I can assure you that I’ll be dead before the sun rises tomorrow.”

 

“We can protect you.”

 

“No, you can’t.” He laughs. “This isn’t just some corruption in the police force.”

 

“What is it then?”

 

Lane remains silent and after a minute of this, Kara switches the recording device back on and stands up to leave. “I’ll have an officer come up to escort you to a holding cell for the night. Your lawyer should be here tomorrow morning.”

 

When Kara steps out of the interrogation room moves to lean against a wall and rub her eyes, pushing her glasses up as she does so. The clicking of several sets of shoes on linoleum floor draws her attention up though, and she comes face-to-face with Morgan Edge and a small entourage of security.

 

Their eyes lock for a brief second as he passes by, and the tension is almost palpable. He continues walking and pushes through the door to Henshaw’s office, his small security team waiting outside and in the small corridor that runs parallel to the office.

 

Kara’s attention is drawn away from the office by the sound of crutches. She turns around and sees Lucy coming towards her.

 

“Hey,” Lucy says as she moves to lean against the wall with Kara.

 

“Hey. I’m sorry about your Dad.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“You wanna talk about it?”

 

“Not really. I just got off a twenty-minute phone call with Lois where we only talked about _this_ ,” she nods her head in the direction of the interrogation room, “so, I’m good.”

 

“Fair enough. How’d she take it?”

 

“As well as can be expected. She was always the golden child and after she left home, she wasn’t around that much, so, she was completely blindsided by it all. But I kinda always knew he was up to something. I never thought it was illegal or something like this though.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be. It was his choice. Anyway,” Lucy says after a brief pause, “I’m heading out for the night. I’ll see you on Monday?”

 

“See you on Monday,” Kara confirms with a nod and smile. She pushes herself away from the wall and walks back to the bullpen.

 

“Did you get anything from him?” Lena asks when Kara drops into her seat.

 

“No, just a whole heap of cryptic warnings.” Kara rolls her eyes and leans back in her chair as she watches Lena sort their files and notes into various boxes.

 

“There’s still so much I don’t get about this case,” Lena begins as she places a folder of crime scene photos into a box. “Like, who was paying Morgan Edge all that money and _why_ were they doing it?”

 

“If I had to guess, I’d say it’s for something illegal, but all we’ve got are documents the prove he was accepting money. He could easily argue that the money was some kind of gift.”

 

“Well, it’s annoying.” Lena closes up on of the boxes and pushes it aside as she begins to fill another.

 

“Yeah, but we’ll get him one day. It’s just gonna take some time.”

 

Lena hums and is about to place a folder in the box when a photo falls out. She picks it up and quickly examines it. “Did we ever figure out who these boys are?” she asks as she holds the photo up for Kara to see.

 

"No.”

 

Lena glance at the photo one last time before she shrugs and places it back in the folder. She quickly puts the other few folders and notes into the box before she sits down on her own chair.

 

“Any big plans for tonight?” Kara asks.

 

“Not really. I was just gonna go home and shower, probably make myself something small to eat and then go to bed. You?”

 

“I was thinking of getting some Chinese and re-watching The Office.”

 

“Sounds nice.”

 

“Do you wanna join me?”

 

Lena looks up at Kara then and raises one of her eyebrows slightly, a smirk on her face.

 

“I didn’t mean it like _that_. Just, TV and Chinese food. No pressure.”

 

“How could I say no?” Lena smiles and stands, grabbing her coat as Kara follows suit, a smile of her own on her face.

 

* * *

 

As Kara and Lena walk down the corridor towards Kara’s apartment, their hands occasionally brush together, causing a small smile to play at their lips. It’s Lena who decides to take the leap, and when their hands brush together again, she gently takes hold of Kara’s hand and laces their fingers together.

 

Kara looks down at their now joined hands and then up at Lena, a smile on her face, and Lena can’t help but think that Kara’s smile is her new favorite thing.

 

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually watched The Office all the way through,” Lena says as Kara uses her free hand to unlock the door with her keys. Kara looks up at her in mock horror, which causes Lena to laugh. “Don’t look at me like I’ve just kicked a puppy. I just got busy and haven’t had the time to go back to it.”

 

“Well, then,” Kara pushes to door open and gestures for Lena to enter first, “we have to fix that. You’re missing out by not having seen it all.”

 

Lena laughs openly and freely as she steps through the threshold and into Kara’s apartment, quickly followed by Kara who pushes the door shut. Kara switches on a light, causing the entire living space to be bathed in a warm light.

 

Their laughter is short lived though, because when their eyes adjust to the light, they instantly see a brunette woman, probably in her fifties, standing in the middle of Kara’s living room. They both fall silent at the sight, but for different reasons.

 

Lena can’t help but feel like she’s seen the woman before. There’s an air of familiarity to her, that Lena can’t quite place, but knows that she’s seen her before. But for Kara, her silence is different. She knows exactly who that woman is, though she doesn’t understand how she’s standing in front of her.

 

There’s a heavy silence in the room as Lena tries to place the woman and Kara tries to understand how this is possible. The woman remains still and there’s a trace of an almost warm smile on her face that seems to have hardened over the years, and Lena’s sure she’s seen a smile like that somewhere before.

 

It’s another minute before recognition dawns on Lena. She knows why the woman looks familiar. Lena casts her mind back to this morning.

 

* * *

 

The rain subsides but the grey clouds remain, and it’s an unusual sight for National City, but Lena appreciates it nonetheless. It’s a little reminder of home in a way – the grey clouds that hang over the city. The buildings that she sees outside Kara’s window in no way remind her of the small town she spent the first four years of her life in back in Ireland, but she has a few memories of spending afternoons inside because of the poor weather.

 

As she buttons up the borrowed shirt, Lena lets her eyes scan over the photos on Kara’s dresser. It’s yet another small thing that reminds her of home – not the photos themselves, but the collection of family photos all on display.

 

Lena sees several photos that look to be from graduations and family trips, and a few that depict a five or six-year-old Kara playing in a sandbox. Her eyes stop at a photo that appears to have been taken at a birthday party if the cake and party decorations are anything to go by.

 

There are three people in the photo: a version of Kara who appears to be eleven years old; a man with dark hair and strong features, a warm smile on his face with his arm thrown over Kara’s shoulder in a fatherly kind of way; and a woman with a smile that matches Kara’s own. It’s obvious that the people on either side of Kara are her parents.

 

* * *

 

It’s been almost twenty years since the photo was taken, but it’s obvious that the woman standing before them is the same from that photo.

_But that’s not possible_ , Lena thinks as she continues to look at the woman in stunned silence, _she died._

 

It’s Kara who eventually breaks the silence, but her voice comes out as an almost pained whisper. “Mom?”

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was joking about this chapter being the end by the way. It's the end of this part, but I've got another part planned and ready for me to write. I did initially plan on doing this in one part, not two, but I came up with a really good name for this series and I want to use it. Also, in terms of the story itself, I think it works better having them as two separate parts.
> 
> I've got some really good stuff planned for the next part. Like, really, really good. I'm smiling just thinking about how cool it all is. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I'm proud of what I've come up with.
> 
> I do hope you'll stick around for the next part. I've got everything planned out and what not, but I've started uni and got plenty of things I need to be doing for that. So, the next part may take a while until it's ready. I will try my best to get it out to you folks as soon as possible, but we'll just see how that goes.
> 
> Part two will be titled 'You, Me and The Cover-up' so just keep an eye out for that if you're interested. Alternatively, I made a Tumblr if anyone's interested. It's Just-Some-Girlll if you wanna follow me. Probably won't be too active or anything, but you can ask me something if you want, and I might release sneak peeks of the next part if that's something you folks want. I just figured it might be something good to do.
> 
> Anyway, that's all from me for now. Thanks for sticking around 'till the end and I hope you'll be here for the next part.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks so much for reading :)


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